Introduction

When we see a book with a title like The Path of Perfection, we may

react with a bit of common skepticism: “Oh, another book claiming to
give all the answers. One more do-it-yourself enlightenment scheme.”
And certainly it seems that such skepticism is justified nowadays. Our
natural desire for ultimate meaning, happiness, enlightenment,
liberation, and salvation has become the most exploited commodity of
the twentieth century, creating what one contemporary theologian
termed a disastrous “seduction of the spirit.” This seduction is, indeed,
the most tragic kind of exploitation. And the unfortunate consequence of
this exploitation is a kind of deadening cynicism that discourages our
search for self-fulfillment and a means to attain it.
The contemporary, thoughtful reader, weary of the many speculative,
simplistic books cluttering the bookstore shelves, offering instant
formulas for psychological or spiritual salvation, will find The Path of
Perfection a welcome relief. Herein one will find a clear, intriguing
explanation of the philosophy and practice of mankind’s oldest system of
spiritual development—yoga.
Now, the word yoga may conjure up an image of some skinny fakir
contorted like a human pretzel, or perhaps a room full of corpulent
matrons in black leotards struggling to stand on their heads in hope of
improving their health, losing weight, or increasing their sexual powers.
This is not what we mean by yoga. Here we are referring to an ancient
philosophy and meditational system that has been practiced by millions
throughout the ages. What has, in modern times, been reduced to a
commercially exploited technique of bodily agility and pseudomeditation
was once a comprehensive and easily applied form of self-realization.
The path of perfection consists of a historic series of talks—
elaborations on a previously published commentary—by His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda (1896–1977) on India’s
greatest spiritual classic, the Bhagavad-gītā. In these absorbing talks,
Śrīla Prabhupāda explores deeply the philosophy of yoga as explained in
the Sixth and Eighth Chapters of the Gītā, showing clearly how these
timeless teachings apply to twentieth century mankind. Śrīla
Prabhupāda’s talks probe questions concerning the nature of
consciousness, techniques of meditation, karma, death, reincarnation,
and even spiritual ecstasy.
The Bhagavad-gītā, described by one contemporary psychologist as“a
remarkable psychotherapeutic session,” appears to us in the form of an
extraordinary dialogue between Lord Kṛṣṇ a, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and His warrior disciple Arjuna. Perplexed and confused about
his identity and purpose, Arjuna turns to Kṛṣṇ a, who reveals “the path of
perfection” to His able student. The essence of Lord Kṛṣṇ a’s teachings is
that one must become a yogī, that is, one whose life is centered on the
practice of yoga. And what is yoga? The Sanskrit word yoga literally
means “union,” and refers to the union, in love, between the individual
consciousness and the Supreme Consciousness, the self and the
Superself, the soul and God. Yoga is, indeed, “the path of perfection,”
because it aims toward this most exalted human attainment.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, we discover four basic varieties
of yoga described. Karma-yoga refers to the process whereby one
performs his work for God, without the selfish desire for personal
gain. Jñāna-yoga is the process of elevation to spiritual consciousness
through the cultivation of philosophical knowledge. The aṣṭāṅga-
yoga system, of which the modern “haṭha-yoga” is a watered-down
version, is a mechanical, meditative practice meant to control the mind
and senses and focus one’s concentration on the Supreme. These
three yoga systems culminate in bhakti-yoga, the yoga of selfless,
ecstatic, devotional love of God, Kṛṣṇ a. Lord Kṛṣṇ a Himself states in the
last verse of Chapter Six, “Of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with
great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most
intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.”
In The Path of Perfection, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a brilliant
summary of the methods of bhakti-yoga, revealing the universal
applicability of this simple but all-inclusive form of yoga. He shows how
even those who are entangled in the complexity and chaos of modern
materialistic life can begin an uncomplicated practice which purifies the
mind and puts one in touch with the Supreme Consciousness.
This, perhaps, was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s greatest contribution to our
age. Śrīla Prabhupāda was an acknowledged master scholar of India’s
ancient spiritual culture and of its linguistic foundation, the Sanskrit
language. But he was not merely a textual scholar or a philosopher or
theologian engaged in the manufacture of interesting philosophical or
theological notions. He was a true spiritual genius who succeeded in
bringing to life the essence of India’s universal spiritual wisdom in a
form which is easy for twentieth century man to understand and
practice. This was the unique genius which inspired the late prime
minister of India, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, to declare openly that the
writings of Śrīla Prabhupāda “are a significant contribution to the
salvation of mankind.” The transforming quality of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
writings was also appreciated by sociologist Elwin H. Powell, who
commented on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s best-selling edition of the Bhagavad-
gītā: “This transcendental mysticism from the East is now taking root in
the ‘countercultures’ of the West and providing for many a way out of the
wilderness of a disintegrating civilization.... If truth is what works, there
must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, since those who
follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in the bleak
and strident lives of contemporary people.”

Chapter One
Yoga as Action
In the Sixth and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, explains that the
eightfold yoga system is a means to control the mind and senses. This
method, however, is very difficult for people to perform, especially in this
age of Kali, an age characterized by ignorance and chaos.
Although this eightfold yoga system is particularly recommended in
the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord emphasizes that the
process of karma-yoga, action in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, is superior. In
this world, everyone acts to maintain his family, and everyone is working
with a view to some self-interest, or personal sense gratification, be it
concentrated or extended. But to act perfectly is to act
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, and this means acting detached from the fruits
of labor.
It is our duty to act in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness because we are
constitutionally parts and parcels of the Supreme. The parts of the body
work for the satisfaction of the entire body, not for the individual parts.
The goal is the satisfaction of the complete whole. Similarly, the living
entity should act for the satisfaction of the supreme whole, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and not for his own personal satisfaction. One
who can do this is the perfect sannyāsī and the perfect yogī. In the first
verse of the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the chapter dealing
with sāṅkhya-yoga, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇ a states,
anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ
kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca
na niragnir na cākriyaḥ
“One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is
obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not
he who lights no fire and performs no work.”
 Sometimes sannyāsīs (renunciates) incorrectly think that they have
become liberated from all material engagements and therefore no longer
have to perform agni-hotra yajñas, or fire sacrifices. This is a mistake.
Certain yajñas (sacrifices) have to be performed by everyone for
purification. Since sannyāsīs are not traditionally required to
perform yajñas, they sometimes think that they can attain liberation by
ceasing to perform the ritualistic yajñas, but actually, unless one comes
to the platform of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, there is no question of liberation.
Those sannyāsīs who cease to perform yajñas are in fact acting out of
self-interest, because their goal is to become one with the
impersonal Brahman. That is the ultimate goal of the impersonalists
(Māyāvādīs), who have one major goal or demand: to become one with
the supreme impersonal Being. The devotees have no such demands.
They are simply satisfied in serving Kṛṣṇ a for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇ a.
They do not want anything in return. That is the characteristic of pure
devotion.
It was Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu who expressed this devotional
attitude so succinctly:
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
“O Almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor to enjoy
beautiful women. Nor do I want any number of followers. What I want is
only the causeless mercy of Your devotional service in my life, birth after
birth.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) In essence, this is the bhakti-yoga system. There
are many examples of the pure devotional attitude. Once Lord
Nṛsiṁ hadeva told Prahlāda Mahārāja, “My dear boy, you have suffered
so much for Me. Whatever you want, ask for it.” Being a pure
devotee, Prahlāda Mahārāja refused to ask for anything. He said, “My
dear Master, I am not carrying out mercantile business with You. I will
not accept any remuneration for my service.” This is the pure devotional
attitude.
Yogīs and jñānīs are demanding to become one with the Supreme
because they have such bitter experience suffering the material pangs.
They want to become one with the Lord because they are suffering in
separation. A pure devotee, however, does not experience this. Although
separate from the Lord, he fully enjoys the service of the Lord in
separation. The desire to become one with the impersonal Brahman, or
to merge with God, is certainly greater than any material desire, but this
is not without self-interest. Similarly, the mystic yogī who practices
the yoga system with half-open eyes, ceasing all material activities,
desires some satisfaction for his personal self. Such yogīs are desirous of
material power, and that is their conception of the perfection
of yoga. Actually, this is not the perfection of yoga, but a materialistic
process.
If one practices the regulative principles of yoga, he can attain eight
kinds of perfection. He can become lighter than a cotton swab. He can
become heavier than a great stone. He can immediately get whatever he
likes. Sometimes he can even create a planet. Although rare, such
powerful yogīs actually exist. Viśvāmitra Yogī wanted to beget a man
from a palm tree. He was thinking, “Why should a man have to live so
many months within the womb of his mother? Why can’t he be produced
just like a fruit?” Thinking like this, Viśvāmitra Yogī produced men like
coconuts. Sometimes yogīs are so powerful, they can perform such acts,
but these are all material powers. Ultimately such yogīs are vanquished,
because they cannot retain these material powers indefinitely. Bhakti-
yogīs are not interested in such powers.
The bhakti-yogī, acting in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, works for the
satisfaction of the whole without self-interest. A Kṛṣṇ a conscious person
does not desire self-satisfaction. Rather, his criterion of success is the
satisfaction of Kṛṣṇ a; therefore he is considered the perfect sannyāsī and
the perfect yogi.
A pure devotee does not even want salvation. The salvationists want
to be saved from rebirth, and the voidists also want to put an end to all
material life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, requested only devotional
service to Lord Kṛṣṇ a, birth after birth; in other
words, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was prepared to endure material miseries
in one body after another. What, then, was Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s
desire? He wanted to engage in God’s service, and nothing more, for that
is the real perfection of yoga.
Whether in the spiritual sky or the material sky, the individual spirit
soul is constitutionally the same. It is said that he is one ten-thousandth
part of the tip of a hair. This means that our position is that of a small
particle. But spirit can expand. Just as we develop a material body in the
material world, we develop a spiritual body in the spiritual world. In the
material world, expansion takes place in contact with matter. In the
spiritual world, this expansion is spiritual.
Actually, the first lesson of Bhagavad-gītā is, “I am spirit soul. I am
different from this body.” I am a living force, but this material body is
not a living force. It is dull matter, and it is activated only because
spiritual force is present. In the spiritual world, everything is living force;
there is no dead matter. There, the body is totally spiritual. One may
compare the spirit soul with oil and the body with water. When oil is in
water, there is a distinction, and that distinction always remains. In the
spiritual sky, there is no question of oil being placed in water. There
everything is spirit.
The impersonalists do not want to develop a body. They simply want
to remain spiritual particles, and that is their idea of happiness. But
we bhakti-yogīs (Vaiṣṇ avas) want to serve Kṛṣṇ a, and therefore we
require hands, legs, and all the other bodily parts. Indeed, we are given
these bodies in order to serve Kṛṣṇ a. Just as we develop a material body
in our mother’s womb, we can similarly develop a spiritual body in the
spiritual world.
The spiritual body is developed through the practice
of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. This material body is spiritualized by
this bhakti-yoga process. If you place an iron within fire, the iron
becomes so hot that it also becomes fiery. When the iron is red hot, it
acquires all the qualities of fire. If you touch something with that iron,
that iron will act as fire. Similarly, although this body is material, it can
become spiritualized through Kṛṣṇ a consciousness and act as spirit.
Although copper is just a metal, as soon as it comes in contact with
electricity, it becomes electrified, and if you touch it, you will receive an
electric shock.
As soon as your body is spiritualized, material activity ceases.
Material activity means acting for sense gratification. As you become
spiritualized, material demands dwindle until they become nil. How is
this possible? In order for an iron to act as fire, it must remain constantly
in contact with fire. In order for the material body to become
spiritualized, one must remain constantly in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. When
this material body is fully engaged in spiritual activities, it becomes
spiritual.
According to the Vedic system, the body of a high personality,
a sannyāsī, is not burned but buried, because a sannyāsī’s body is
considered spiritual, having ceased to engage in material activities. If
everyone in this world engages fully in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness and ceases
to work for sense gratification, this entire world will immediately become
spiritual. Therefore it is necessary to learn how to work for the
satisfaction of Kṛṣṇ a. This requires a little time to understand. If
something is used for Kṛṣṇ a’s satisfaction, it is spiritual. Since we are
using microphones, typewriters, etc., in order to talk and write
about Kṛṣṇ a, they become spiritualized. What is the difference
between prasāda and ordinary food? Some people may say, “What is
this prasāda? We are eating the same food. Why do you call it prasāda?”
It is prasāda because it has been offered for Kṛṣṇ a’s satisfaction and has
thus become spiritualized.
 In a higher sense, there is no matter at all. Everything is spiritual.
Because Kṛṣṇ a is spiritual and matter is one of the energies of Kṛṣṇ a,
matter is also spiritual. Kṛṣṇ a is totally spiritual, and spirit comes from
spirit. However, because the living entities are misusing this energy—
that is, using it for something other than Kṛṣṇ a’s purposes—it becomes
materialized, and so we call it matter. The purpose of
this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness movement is to respiritualize this energy. It is
our purpose to respiritualize the whole world, socially and politically. Of
course, this may not be possible, but it is our ideal. At least if we
individually take up this respiritualization process, our lives become
perfect.
In Bhagavad-gītā (9.22) Kṛṣṇ a says that He provides for His devotees
by giving them what they lack and preserving what they have. People are
very fond of saying that God helps those who help themselves, but they
do not understand that helping yourself means putting yourself under
Kṛṣṇ a’s protection. If one thinks, “Oh, I can help myself. I can protect
myself,” one is thinking foolishly. As long as my finger is attached to my
body, it is useful, and I may spend thousands of dollars to preserve it.
But if this finger is cut off, it is useless and is thrown away. Similarly, we
are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a, and helping ourselves means putting
ourselves in our proper position as His parts and parcels. Otherwise we
are only fit to be cast away. The finger can help itself only when situated
properly on the hand and working on behalf of the entire body. If the
finger thinks, “I will separate myself from this body and simply help
myself,” that finger will be cast away and will die. As soon as we think, “I
shall live independently of Kṛṣṇ a,” that is our spiritual death, and as
soon as we engage in Kṛṣṇ a’s service, as His part and parcel, that is our
spiritual life. Therefore, helping oneself means knowing one’s actual
position and working accordingly. It is not possible to help oneself
without knowing one’s position.
Service means activity, for when we serve someone, we are acting.
When we serve Kṛṣṇ a, we are preaching Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, or
cooking, or cleansing the temple, or distributing books about Kṛṣṇ a, or
writing about Him, or shopping for foodstuff to offer Him. There are so
many ways to serve. Helping Kṛṣṇ a means acting for Him, not sitting
down in one place and artificially meditating. Kṛṣṇ a consciousness
means activity. Whatever assets we have should be utilized for Kṛṣṇ a.
That is the process of bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇ a has given us a mind, and we
must utilize this mind to think of Kṛṣṇ a. We have been given these
hands, and we must use them to wash the temple or cook for Kṛṣṇ a. We
have been given these legs, and we should use them to go to the temple
of Kṛṣṇ a. We have been given a nose, and we should use it to smell the
flowers that have been offered to Kṛṣṇ a. Through the process of bhakti-
yoga, we engage all these senses in the service of Kṛṣṇ a, and in this way
the senses are spiritualized.
In Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna was refusing to act, and Kṛṣṇ a was
inspiring him to engage in activity. The entire Bhagavad-gītā is an
inspiration to work, to engage in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, to act on Kṛṣṇ a’s
behalf. Kṛṣṇ a never tells Arjuna, “My dear friend Arjuna, don’t concern
yourself with this war. Just sit down and meditate upon Me.” This is not
the message of Bhagavad-gītā. We are not to refrain from all activity,
but only from those activities that impede our consciousness of Kṛṣṇ a.
Meditation means stopping all nonsensical activity. Those who are
advanced in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness are constantly working for Kṛṣṇ a.
A mother tells only her bad child to sit down and do nothing. If a child
can do nothing but disturb his mother, the mother says, “My dear child,
just sit down here and keep quiet.” But if the child can work nicely, the
mother says, “My dear child, will you please help me do this? Will you go
over there and do that?” Sitting still in one place is just for those who do
not know how to work sensibly. As long as the child sits in one place, he
does not raise havoc. Sitting still means negating nonsense; it is not
positive activity. In negation, there is no life. Positive activities constitute
life, and positive activity is the message of Bhagavad-gītā. Spiritual life
is not “Don’t do this.” Spiritual life is “Do this!” In order to act properly,
there are certain things that one must know not to do; therefore certain
activities are forbidden. The whole Bhagavad-gītā, however,
is “do.” Kṛṣṇ a says, “Fight for Me.” At the beginning of Bhagavad-
gītā, when Arjuna told Kṛṣṇ a, “I will not fight,” Śrī Kṛṣṇ a said,
kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ
viṣame samupasthitam
anārya juṣṭam asvargyaṁ
akīrti-karam arjuna
“My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are
not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive values of life. They
lead not to higher planets, but to infamy.” (Bg. 2.2) Kṛṣṇ a directly
tells Arjuna that he is speaking like a non-Āryan—that is, like one who
does not know the spiritual values of life. So Kṛṣṇ a consciousness does
not mean sitting down idly.
Kṛṣṇ a Himself does not sit down idly. All His pastimes are filled with
activity. When we go to the spiritual world, we will see that Kṛṣṇ a is
always engaged in dancing, eating, and enjoying. He does not sit down to
meditate. Is there any account of the gopīs meditating?
Did Caitanya Mahāprabhu sit down to meditate? No, He was always
dancing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a. The spirit soul is naturally active.
How can we sit down silently and do nothing? It is not possible.
Therefore, after Śrī Kṛṣṇ a outlined the sāṅkhya-yoga system in the Sixth
Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna frankly said,
yo ’yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ
sāmyena madhusūdana
etasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi
cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
“O Madhusūdana [Kṛṣṇ a], the system of yoga which You have
summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is
restless and unsteady.” (Bg. 6.33) Although Arjuna was highly elevated
and was Kṛṣṇ a’s intimate friend, he immediately refused to take up
this sāṅkhya-yoga system. In essence, he said, “It is not possible for
me.” How could it have been possible? Arjuna was a warrior, a
householder, and he wanted a kingdom. What time did he have for
meditation? He flatly refused to practice this type of
meditational yoga, saying that the mind is as difficult to control as the
wind (Bg. 6.34). That is a fact. It is not possible to control the mind
artificially; therefore we must engage the mind in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
Then it is controlled. If Arjuna found this process more difficult than
controlling the wind, then what of us? After all, Arjuna was not an
ordinary man. He was personally talking with the Supreme Lord,
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, and he proclaimed the mind to be like a great wind. How can
we control the wind? We can control the mind only by fixing it on
Kṛṣṇ a’s lotus feet. That is the perfection of meditation.
No one really wants to sit down and meditate. Why should we? We’re
meant for positive activity, for recreation, for pleasure.
In Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, our recreation is dancing and chanting, and
when we get tired, we take prasāda. Is dancing difficult? Is chanting
difficult? We don’t charge anything to dance in the temple. If you go to a
ballroom, you have to pay to enter, but we do not charge. It is natural to
enjoy music and dancing and palatable foods. These are our recreations,
and this is our method of meditation. So this yoga system is not at all
laborious. It is simply recreation, susukham. It is stated in the Ninth
Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (9.2) that this yoga is susukham—very happy.
“It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.” It is natural, automatic,
and spontaneous. It is our real life in the spiritual world.
In Vaikuṇ ṭha, the spiritual world, there is no
anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha means “freedom from anxiety,” and in Vaikuṇ ṭha the
liberated souls are always dancing, chanting, and taking prasāda. There
are no factories, hard work, or technical institutions. There is no need for
these artificial things. In Vedānta-sūtra it is stated, ānandamayo
’bhyāsāt: God is ānandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure. Since we are
part and parcel of God, we also possess these same qualities. So the goal
of our yoga process is to join with the supreme ānandamaya, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a,
to join His dance party. Then we will be actually happy.
On this earth we are trying to be happy artificially and are therefore
frustrated. Once we are situated in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we will revive
our original position and become simply joyful. Since our actual nature
is ānandamaya, blissful, we are always searching for happiness. In the
cities we are inundated with advertisements. Restaurants, bars,
nightclubs, and dance halls are always announcing, “Come on, here
is ānanda. Here is pleasure.” That is because everyone is searching
for ānanda, pleasure. Our society for Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is also
announcing, “Here is ānanda,” but our standard of pleasure is very
different. In any case, the goal—pleasure—is the same.
Most people are hunting for pleasure on the gross material platform.
The more advanced search for pleasure in speculation, philosophy,
poetry, or art. The bhakti-yogī, however, searches for pleasure on the
transcendental platform, and that is his only business. Why are people
working so hard all day? They are thinking, “Tonight I shall enjoy.
Tonight I will associate with this girl or with my wife.” Thus people are
going to so much trouble to acquire a little pleasure. Pleasure is the
ultimate goal, but unfortunately, under illusion, people do not know
where real pleasure is to be found. Real pleasure exists eternally in the
transcendental form of Kṛṣṇ a.
Perhaps you have seen pictures of Kṛṣṇ a, and if so, you have noticed
that Kṛṣṇ a is always jolly. If you join His society, you will also become
jolly. Have you ever seen pictures of Kṛṣṇ a working with a machine?
Have you ever seen pictures of Kṛṣṇ a smoking? No, He is by nature full
of pleasure, and if you unfold yourself in that way, you will also find
pleasure. Pleasure cannot be found artificially.
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own
realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the
embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic
activities, in the company of Her confidantes (sakhīs), embodiments of
the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-
blissful spiritual rasa.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37)
 The word rasa means “taste,” or “mellow.” We enjoy sweets or candy
because of their taste. Everyone is trying to enjoy some taste, and we
want to enjoy sex because there is some taste there. That is
called ādi taste. Material tastes are different because they are tasted and
quickly finished. Material tastes last only a few minutes. You may take a
piece of candy, taste it, and say, “Oh, that is very nice,” but you have to
taste another in order to continue the enjoyment. Material taste is not
unlimited, but real taste is without end. Spiritual taste cannot be
forgotten; it goes on increasing. Ānandāmbudhi-
vardhanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, “This taste is always
increasing.” Spiritual taste is like the ocean in the sense that it is very
great. The Pacific Ocean is always tossing, but it is not increasing. By
God’s order, the ocean does not extend beyond its limit, and if it extends,
there is havoc. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that there is another
ocean, an ocean of transcendental bliss, an ocean that is always
increasing. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pū
rṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ/ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-
saṅkīrtanam. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a, our pleasure potency increases
more and more.
One who has realized Śrī Kṛṣṇ a is always living
in Vṛndāvana, Vaikuṇ ṭha. Although a devotee may seem to be living in
some place far from Vṛndāvana, he is always living in Vṛndāvana,
because he knows that Kṛṣṇ a is present everywhere, even within the
atom. The Supreme Lord is bigger than the biggest and smaller than the
smallest. Once we are fully realized and established
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we never lose sight of Kṛṣṇ a, and our bliss is
always increasing. This is the true yoga system, bhakti-yoga, as
expounded by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a Himself in Bhagavad-gītā.

Chapter Two
Mastering the Mind and Senses
yaṁ sannyāsam iti prāhur
yogaṁ taṁ viddhi pāṇḍava
na hy asannyasta-saṅkalpo
yogī bhavati kaścana
“What is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with
the Supreme, for no one can become a yogī unless he renounces the
desire for sense gratification.” (Bg. 6.2)
This is the real purpose of the practice of yoga. The word yoga means
“to join.” Although we are naturally part and parcel of the Supreme, in
our conditioned state we are now separated. Because of our separation,
we are reluctant to understand God and to speak of our relationship with
Him and are even inclined to think of such discussion as a waste of time.
In a church or in a Kṛṣṇ a consciousness temple, we speak of God, but
people in general are not very interested. They think it is a waste of time,
a kind of recreation in the name of spiritual advancement, and they
believe that this time could be better used to earn money or enjoy
themselves in a nightclub or restaurant.
Therefore, it is due to sense enjoyment that we are not attracted to
God, and therefore it is said that those who are addicted to sense
enjoyment cannot become yogīs—that is, they are not eligible to
participate in the yoga system. One cannot advance in any yoga system
if he partakes in sense gratification and then sits down to try to meditate.
This is just a colossal hoax. Such contradictory activity has no meaning.
First of all, yoga means controlling the senses—yama-niyama. There
are eight stages of yoga—
yama, niyama, āsana, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma,
pratyāhāra, and samādhi.
In this Sixth Chapter, in which the Lord speaks of the sāṅkhya-
yoga system, He states from the very beginning that one cannot become
a yogī unless one renounces the desire for sense gratification. Therefore,
if one indulges his senses, he cannot be accepted as
a yogī. Yoga demands strict celibacy. In the yoga system, there is no sex
life. If one indulges in sex, he cannot be a yogī. Many so-
called yogīs come from India to America and say, “Yes, you can do
whatever you like. You can have as much sex as you like. Just meditate. I
will give you some mantra, and you will give me some money.” This is all
nonsense. According to the authoritative statements of Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, one
cannot become a yogī unless he renounces the desire for sense
gratification. This is explicitly stated as the first condition
for yoga practice.
ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ
karma kāraṇam ucyate
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva
śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate
“For one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to
be the means; and for one who has already attained to yoga, cessation of
all material activities is said to be the means.” (Bg. 6.3) According to this
verse, there are those who are attempting to reach the perfectional stage
and those who have already attained that stage. As long as one is not
situated on the perfectional platform, he must engage in so many works.
In the West, there are many yoga societies attempting to practice
the āsana system, and therefore they practice sitting in different
postures. That may help, but it is only a process by which one can attain
the real platform. The real yoga system, in its perfectional stage, is far
different from these bodily gymnastics.
It is important to understand, however, that from the beginning,
a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person is situated on the platform of meditation
because he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇ a. Being constantly engaged in the
service of Kṛṣṇ a, he is considered to have ceased all material activities.
yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu
na karmasv anuṣajjate
sarva-saṅkalpa-san nyāsī
yogārūḍhas tadocyate
“A person is said to have attained to yoga when, having renounced all
material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in
fruitive activities.” (Bg. 6.4)
This is actually the perfectional stage of yoga, and one who has
attained this stage is said to have attained to yoga. This is to say that he
has connected, joined, or linked himself with the supreme whole. If a
part is disconnected from a machine, it serves no function, but as soon as
it is properly attached to the machine, it works properly and carries out
its different functions. That is the meaning of yoga—joining with the
supreme whole, serving in conjunction with the total machine. Presently
we are disconnected, and our material fruitive activities are simply a
waste of time. One who engages in such activity is described
in Bhagavad-gītā as a mūḍha—that is, a rascal. Although one may earn
thousands of dollars daily and be an important businessman, he is
described in Bhagavad-gītā as a mūḍha, rascal, because he is just
wasting his time in eating, sleeping, defending, and mating.
People do not stop to consider that they are actually working very
hard for nothing. One who earns millions of dollars cannot really eat
much more than a man who makes ten dollars. A man who earns
millions of dollars cannot mate with millions of women. That is not
within his power. His mating power is the same as one who earns ten
dollars, just as his power of eating is the same. This is to say that our
power of enjoyment is limited. One should therefore think, “My
enjoyment is the same as that of the man who is earning ten dollars
daily. So why am I working so hard to earn millions of dollars? Why am I
wasting my energy? I should engage my time and energy in
understanding God. That is the purpose of life.” If one has no economic
problems, he has sufficient time to understand Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. If
he wastes this precious time, he is called a mūḍha, a rascal or an ass.
 According to the preceding verse, a person is said to have
attained yoga when he has renounced all material desires. Once we are
situated perfectly in yoga, we are satisfied. We no longer experience
material desires. We no longer act for sense gratification or engage in
fruitive activity. When we speak of “fruitive activity,” we refer to
activities carried out for the purpose of sense gratification. That is, we
are earning money in order to gratify our senses. If one is virtuous, he
engages in pious activities—he donates money to charities, opens
hospitals, schools, etc. Although these are certainly virtuous activities,
they are ultimately meant for sense gratification. How is this? If I donate
to an educational institution, for instance, I will receive good educational
facilities and will become highly educated in my next life. Being thus
educated, I will attain a good position and will acquire a good amount of
money. Then how will I utilize this money? For sense gratification. Thus
these virtuous and fruitive activities form a kind of cycle.
We often hear the expression “a better standard of life,” but what does
this mean? It is said that the standard of life in America is superior to
that in India, but in both countries there is eating, sleeping, defending,
and mating. Of course, in America the quality of food may be better, but
the eating process is there. A superior standard of life does not mean
superior spiritual realization. It just means better eating, sleeping,
mating, and defending. This is called fruitive activity, and it is based on
sense gratification.
Yoga has nothing to do with sense gratification or fruitive
activity. Yoga means connecting with the
Supreme. Dhruva Mahārāja underwent severe austerities in order to see
God, and when he finally saw God, he said, svāmin kṛtārtho
’smi varaṁ na yāce.: “My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I am not
asking for anything more. I do not want any further benediction from
You.” Why didn’t Dhruva Mahārāja ask for benedictions? What is a
“benediction”? Generally, benediction means receiving a great kingdom,
a beautiful wife, palatable food, and so forth, but when one is actually
connected with God, he does not want such “benedictions.” He is fully
satisfied. Svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi varaṁ na yāce.
Actually, Dhruva Mahārāja initially searched for God in order to
attain his father’s kingdom. Dhruva Mahārāja’s mother was rejected by
his father, and his stepmother resented his sitting on his father’s lap.
Indeed, she forbade him to sit on his father’s lap
because Dhruva Mahārāja was not born in her womb. Although only five
years old, Dhruva Mahārāja was a kṣatriya, and he took this as a great
insult. Going to his own mother, he said, “Mother, my stepmother has
insulted me by forbidding me to sit on my father’s
lap.” Dhruva Mahārāja then started to cry, and his mother said, “My dear
boy, what can I do? Your father loves your stepmother more than he
loves me. I can do nothing.” Dhruva Mahārāja then said, “But I want my
father’s kingdom. Tell me how I can get it.” “My dear boy,” his mother
said, “if Kṛṣṇ a, God, blesses you, you can get it.” “Where is
God?” Dhruva Mahārāja asked. “Oh, it is said that God is in the forest,”
his mother said. “Great sages go to the forest to search for God.”
Hearing this, Dhruva Mahārāja went directly to the forest and began
to perform severe penances. Finally he saw God, and when he saw Him,
he no longer desired his father’s kingdom. Instead, he said, “My dear
Lord, I was searching for some pebbles, but instead I have found
valuable jewels. I no longer care for my father’s kingdom. Now I am fully
satisfied.” When one is actually connected with God, he is totally
satisfied. His satisfaction is infinitely greater than so-called enjoyment in
this material world. That is the satisfaction resulting from God
realization, and that is the perfection of yoga.
When a person is fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of
the Lord, he is pleased in himself, and thus he is no longer engaged in
sense gratification or in fruitive activities. Otherwise, one must be
engaged in sense gratification, since one cannot live without
engagement. It is impossible to cease all activity. As stated before, it is
our nature as living entities to act. It is said, “An idle mind is the devil’s
workshop.” If we have no Kṛṣṇ a conscious engagement, we will engage in
sense gratification or fruitive activity. If a child is not trained or
educated, he becomes spoiled. If one does not practice the yoga system,
if he does not attempt to control his senses by the yoga process, he will
engage his senses in their own gratification. When one is gratifying his
senses, there is no question of practicing yoga.
Without Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, one must be always seeking self-
centered or extended selfish activities. But a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person can
do everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇ a and thereby be perfectly
detached from sense gratification. One who has not realized Kṛṣṇ a must
mechanically try to escape material desires before being elevated to the
top rung of the yoga ladder.
One may compare the yoga system to a stepladder. One yogī may be
situated on the fifth step, another yogī may be on the fiftieth step and yet
another on the five-hundredth step. The purpose, of course, is to reach
the top. Although the entire ladder may be called the yoga system, one
who is on the fifth step is not equal to one who is higher up.
In Bhagavad-gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a delineates a number of yoga systems—
karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. All of these
systems are connected with God, Kṛṣṇ a, just as the entire ladder is
connected to the topmost floor. This is not to say that everyone
practicing the yoga system is situated on the topmost floor; only he who
is in full Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is so situated. Others are situated on
different steps of the yogic ladder.
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ
nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur
ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
“A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The
mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.”
(Bg. 6.5) The word ātmā denotes body, mind, and soul—depending on
different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the
conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central
point of yoga practice, ātmā refers here to the mind. The purpose of
the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from
attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be
so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of
nescience.
In the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, these eightfold yogas—
dhyāna, dhāraṇā, etc.—are meant to control the mind.
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a explicitly states that a man must utilize his mind to elevate
himself. Unless one can control the mind, there is no question of
elevation. The body is like a chariot, and the mind is the driver. If you tell
your driver, “Please take me to the Kṛṣṇ a temple,” the driver will take
you there, but if you tell him, “Please take me to that liquor house,” you
will go there. It is the driver’s business to take you wherever you like. If
you can control the driver, he will take you where you should go, but if
not, he will ultimately take you wherever he likes. If you have no control
over your driver, your driver is your enemy, but if he acts according to
your orders, he is your friend.
The yoga system is meant to control the mind in such a way that the
mind will act as your friend. Sometimes the mind acts as a friend and
sometimes as an enemy. Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme,
who has infinite independence, we have minute, or finite, independence.
It is the mind that is controlling that independence, and therefore he
may either take us to the Kṛṣṇ a temple or to some nightclub.
It is the purpose of this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness movement to fix the
mind on Kṛṣṇ a. When the mind is so fixed, he cannot do anything but act
as our friend. He has no scope to act any other way. As soon as Kṛṣṇ a is
seated in the mind, there is light, just as when the sun is in the sky,
darkness is vanquished. Kṛṣṇ a is just like the sun, and when He is
present, there is no scope for darkness. If we keep Kṛṣṇ a on our mind,
the darkness of māyā will never be able to enter. Keeping the mind fixed
on Kṛṣṇ a is the perfection of yoga. If the mind is strongly fixed on the
Supreme, it will not allow any nonsense to enter, and there will be no
falldown. If the mind is strong, the driver is strong, and we may go
wherever we may desire. The entire yoga system is meant to make the
mind strong, to make it incapable of deviating from the Supreme.
Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ. One should fix his mind
on Kṛṣṇ a, just as Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did when he had a fight with a
great aṣṭāṅga-yogī named Durvāsā Muni. Since Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was
a householder, he was a pounds-shillings man. This means that he had to
take into account pounds, shillings, and sixpence, or dollars and cents.
Apart from being a householder, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was also a great
king and devotee. Durvāsā Muni was a great yogī who happened to be
very envious of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Durvāsā Muni was thinking, “I am a
great yogī, and I can travel in space. This man is an ordinary king, and
he does not possess such yogic powers. Still, people pay him more honor.
Why is this? I will teach him a good lesson.” Durvāsā Muni then
proceeded to pick a quarrel with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, but because the
king was always thinking of Kṛṣṇ a, he managed to defeat this
great yogī. Durvāsā Muni was consequently directed by Nārāyaṇ a to take
shelter at the feet of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Durvāsā Muni was such a
perfect yogī that within a year he could travel throughout the material
universe and also penetrate the spiritual universe. Indeed, he went
directly to the abode of God, Vaikuṇ ṭha, and saw the Personality of
Godhead Himself. Yet Durvāsā Muni was so weak that he had to return
to earth and fall at the feet
of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was an ordinary king, but his
one great qualification was that he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇ a. Thus
his mind was always controlled, and he was situated at the highest
perfectional level of yoga. We also can very easily control the mind by
keeping it fixed on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇ a within. Simply by thinking
of Kṛṣṇ a, we become victorious conquerors, topmost yogīs.
Yoga indriya-saṁ yamaḥ . The yoga system is meant to control the
senses, and since the mind is above the senses, if we can control the
mind, our senses are automatically controlled. The tongue may want to
eat something improper, but if the mind is strong, it can say, “No. You
cannot eat this. You can only eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda.” In this way the tongue,
as well as all the other senses, can be controlled by the
mind. Indriyāṇi parāṇy
āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ [Bg. 3.42]. The material body consists
of the senses, and consequently the body’s activities are sensual
activities. However, above the senses is the mind, and above the mind is
the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the spirit soul. If one is on
the spiritual platform, his intelligence, mind, and senses are all
spiritualized. The purpose of this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness process is to
actualize the spiritualization of senses, mind, and intelligence. The spirit
soul is superior to all, but because he is sleeping, he has given power of
attorney to the fickle mind. However, when the soul is awakened, he is
once again master, and the servile mind cannot act improperly. Once we
are awakened in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, the intelligence, mind, and senses
cannot act nonsensically. They must act in accordance with the
dictations of the spirit soul. That is spiritualization and
purification. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.
170]. We must serve the master of the senses with the senses. The
Supreme Lord is called Hṛṣīkeśa, which means that He is the original
controller of the senses, just as a king is the original controller of all the
activities of a state, and the citizens are secondary controllers.
Bhakti means acting spiritually in accordance with the desires
of Hṛṣīkeśa. How can we act? Since we must act with our senses, we
must spiritualize our senses in order to act properly. As stated before,
sitting in silent meditation means stopping undesirable activity, but
acting in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is transcendental. The cessation of
nonsensical action is not in itself perfection. We must act perfectly.
Unless we train our senses to act in accordance with Hṛṣīkeśa, the
master of the senses, our senses will again engage in undesirable
activities, and we will fall down. Therefore we must engage the senses in
action for Kṛṣṇ a and in this way remain firmly fixed
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and
the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world
because of the mind’s ego, which desires to lord it over material nature.
Therefore the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by
the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may
be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects.
The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes
entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is to
always engage the mind in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. The word hi in verse 5,
Chapter Six (Bhagavad-gītā), is used to emphasize this point—namely,
that one must do this. It is also said,
mana eva manuṣyāṇāṁ
kāraṇaṁ bandha-mokṣayoḥ
bandhāya viṣayāsaṅgo
muktyai nirviṣayaṁ manaḥ
“For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of
liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and
mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation.”
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.7.28) The mind which is always engaged
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation. When the
mind is thus engaged in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, there is no chance of its
being engaged in māyā consciousness. In Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we
remain in the sunlight, and there is no chance of our being obscured by
darkness.
Because we have freedom, or liberty, we can stay within a dark room
or go out into the broad daylight. That is our choice. Darkness can be
eradicated by light, but light cannot be covered by darkness. If we are in
a dark room and someone brings in a lamp, the darkness is vanquished.
But we cannot take darkness into the sunlight. It is not possible. The
darkness will simply fade away. Kṛṣṇa sūrya-
sama māyā haya andhakāra. Kṛṣṇ a is like sunlight, and māyā is like
darkness. So how can darkness exist in sunlight? If we always keep
ourselves in the sunlight, darkness will fail to act upon us. This is the
whole philosophy of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness: always engage
in Kṛṣṇ a conscious activities, and māyā will be dissipated, just as
darkness is dissipated when there is light. This is stated in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (1.7.4):
bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak praṇihite ’male
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ
māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam
“When the sage Vyāsadeva, under the instruction of his spiritual
master, Nārada, fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in
devotional service (bhakti-yoga) without any tinge of materialism,
Vyāsadeva saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead, along with His
external energy, which was under full control.”
The word manasi refers to the mind. When one is enlightened
in bhakti-yoga, the mind becomes completely freed from all
contamination (samyak praṇihite ’male). When Vyāsa saw the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, he saw māyā in the background
(māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam). Whenever there is light, there is also the
possibility of darkness being present. That is, darkness is the other side
of light, or darkness is under the shelter of light, just as if I hold my hand
up to the light, the top part of my hand will be in light, and the bottom
part will be shaded. In other words, one side is light and the other
darkness. When Vyāsadeva saw Kṛṣṇ a, the Supreme Lord, he also
saw māyā, darkness, under His shelter.
 And what is this māyā? This is explained in the next verse of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (1.7.5):
yayā sammohito jīva
ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam
paro ’pi manute ’narthaṁ
tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate
“Due to the external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to
the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material
product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries.” Thus the
illusory energy has temporarily covered the conditioned souls. And who
are these conditioned souls? Although finite, the conditioned spirit souls
are as full of light as Kṛṣṇ a. The problem is that the conditioned soul
identifies himself with this material world. This is called illusion, false
identification with matter. Although the individual spirit soul is
transcendental, he engages in improper activities under the dictation
of māyā, and this brings about his conditioning or false identification.
This is very elaborately explained in the Seventh Chapter, First Canto,
of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
In conclusion, our actual position is that of spiritual sparks, full of
light. Now we are temporarily covered by this illusory
energy, māyā, which is dictating to us. Acting under the influence
of māyā, we are becoming more and more entangled in the material
energy. The yoga system is meant to disentangle us, and the perfection
of yoga is Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Thus Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the most
effective means by which we can disentangle ourselves from the
influence of the material energy.

Chapter Three
Learning How to See God
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya
yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
anātmanas tu śatrutve
vartetātmaiva śatru-vat
“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends;
but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest
enemy.” (Bg. 6.6)
The purpose of the yoga system is to make the mind into a friend
instead of an enemy. In material contact, the mind is in a kind of
drunken condition. As stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 20.117),
 kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva—anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
“Forgetting Kṛṣṇ a, the living entity has been attracted by the Lord’s
external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy
(māyā) gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.” The
living entity is constitutionally spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme
Lord. As soon as the mind is contaminated, the living entity, because he
has a little independence, rebels. In this state, the mind dictates, “Why
should I serve Kṛṣṇ a? I am God.” Thus one labors under a false
impression, and his life is spoiled. We try to conquer many things—even
empires—but if we fail to conquer the mind, we are failures even if we
manage to conquer an empire. Even though emperors, we will have
within us our greatest enemy—our own mind.
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya
paramātmā samāhitaḥ
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu
tathā mānāpamānayoḥ
“For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached,
for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress,
heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.” (Bg. 6.7)
Actually, every living entity is intended to abide by the dictation of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in everyone’s heart
as Paramātmā. When the mind is misled by the external illusory energy,
one becomes entangled in material activities. Therefore, as soon as one’s
mind is controlled through one of the yoga systems, one is to be
considered as having already reached the destination. One has to abide
by superior dictation. When the mind is fixed on the superior nature, he
has no alternative but to follow the dictation of the Supreme. The mind
must admit some superior dictation and follow it. When the mind is
controlled, one automatically follows the dictation of the Paramātmā, or
Supersoul. Because this transcendental position is at once achieved by
one who is in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, the devotee of the Lord is unaffected
by the dualities of material existence—distress and happiness, cold and
heat, etc. This state is called samādhi, or absorption in the Supreme.
jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā
kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ
yukta ity ucyate yogī
sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ
“A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called
a yogī [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired
knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence
and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be pebbles, stones,
or gold—as the same.” (Bg. 6.8)
Book knowledge without realization of the Supreme Truth is useless.
This is stated as follows:
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
[BRS. 1.2.234]
“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form,
quality, and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇ a through his materially contaminated
senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental
service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality, and
pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” (Padma Purāṇa)
There are men in the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance, and
to reclaim all these conditioned souls, there are
eighteen Purāṇas. Six Purāṇas are meant for those in the mode of
goodness, six for those in the mode of passion, and six for those in the
mode of ignorance. The Padma Purāṇa is written for those in the mode
of goodness. Because there are many different types of men, there are
many different Vedic rituals. In the Vedic literatures there are
descriptions of rituals and ceremonies in which a goat may be sacrificed
in the presence of the goddess Kālī. This is described in
the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, but this Purāṇa is meant for the instruction of
those in the mode of ignorance.
It is very difficult for one to give up his attachments all at once. If one
is addicted to meat-eating and is suddenly told that he must not eat
meat, he cannot do so. If one is attached to drinking liquor and is
suddenly told that liquor is no good, he cannot accept this advice.
Therefore, in the Purāṇas we find certain instructions that say in
essence, “All right, if you want to eat meat, just worship the
goddess Kālī and sacrifice a goat for her. Only then can you eat meat.
You cannot eat meat just by purchasing it from the butcher shop. No,
there must be sacrifice or restriction.” In order to sacrifice a goat to the
goddess Kālī, one must make arrangements for a certain date and utilize
certain paraphernalia. That type of pūjā, or worship, is allowed on the
night of the dark moon, which means once a month. There are also
certain mantras to be chanted when the goat is sacrificed. The goat is
told, “Your life is being sacrificed before the goddess Kālī; you will
therefore be immediately promoted to the human form.” Generally, in
order to attain the human form, a living entity has to pass through many
species of life on the evolutionary scale, but if a goat is sacrificed to the
goddess Kālī, he is immediately promoted to the human form.
The mantra also says, “You have the right to kill this man who is
sacrificing you.” The word māṁsa indicates that in his next birth, the
goat will eat the flesh of the man who is presently sacrificing him. This in
itself should bring the goat-eater to his senses. He should consider, “Why
am I eating this flesh? Why am I doing this? I’ll have to repay with my
own flesh in another life.” The whole idea is to discourage one from
eating meat.
Thus, because there are different types of men, there are
eighteen Purāṇas to guide them. The Vedic literatures are meant to
redeem all men, not just a few. It is not that those who are meat-eaters or
drunkards are rejected. A doctor accepts all patients, and he prescribes
different medicines according to the disease. It is not that he gives the
same medicine for all diseases or that he treats just one disease. No, he
offers a specific type of medicine to whomever comes, and the patient
receives gradual treatment. However, the sattvic Purāṇas like
the Padma Purāṇa are meant for those in the mode of goodness, for
those who immediately are capable of worshiping the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
In Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-
ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]: “The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇ a, who has
an eternal, blissful, spiritual body.” This is the Vedic pronouncement,
and we thus accept Śrī Kṛṣṇ a as the Supreme Lord. Those who are in the
modes of passion and ignorance attempt to imagine the form of God, and
when they are confused, they say, “Oh, there is no personal God. God is
impersonal, or void.” This is just the result of frustration. Actually, God
has His form. And why not? According to the Vedānta-sūtra,
janmādy asya yataḥ: [SB 1.1.1] “The Supreme Absolute Truth is He
from whom everything emanates.” It is easy to see that we have different
types of bodies, different types of forms. We must consider where these
forms are coming from. Where have these forms originated? We have to
use a little common sense. If God is not a person, how can His sons be
persons? If your father is just a void, if he is not a person, how can you be
a person? If your father has no form, how can you have form? This is not
very difficult; it is just a common sense question. Unfortunately, because
people are frustrated, they try to imagine some form, or they conclude
that because this material form is temporary and troublesome, God must
be formless. Indeed, because all forms in this material world must
perish, God, of necessity, must be formless.
Brahma-saṁhitā specifically states that this conception is a
mistake. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. G
od has form, but His form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Sat means
“eternal,” cit means “knowledge,” and ānanda means “pleasure.” God
has form, but His form is eternal and is full of knowledge and pleasure.
We cannot compare His form to our form. Our form is neither eternal,
full of pleasure, nor full of knowledge; therefore God’s form is different.
As soon as we speak of form, we think that form must be like ours,
and we therefore conclude that the eternal, all-knowing, and all-blissful
God must be without form. This is not knowledge but the result of
imperfect speculation. According to Padma Purāṇa, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-
nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: [BRS. 1.2.234] “One cannot
understand the form, name, quality, or paraphernalia of God with one’s
material senses.” Since our senses are imperfect, we cannot speculate on
Him who is supremely perfect. That is not possible.
Then how is it possible to understand
Him? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. By training and purifying our senses, we
may come to understand and see God. Presently we are attempting to
understand God with impure, imperfect senses. It is like someone with
cataracts trying to see. Just because one has cataracts, he should not
conclude that there is nothing to be seen. Similarly, we cannot presently
conceive of God’s form, but once our cataracts are removed, we can see.
According to Brahma-saṁhitā, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-
vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti: [Bs. 5.38] “The
devotees whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of love of God can
see God within their hearts twenty-four hours a day.” Purification of the
senses is what is required; then we can understand the name, form,
qualities, and pastimes of God. Then we’ll be able to see God everywhere
and in everything.
These matters are discussed thoroughly in the Vedic literatures. For
instance, it is said that although God has no hands or legs, He can accept
whatever we offer (apāṇi-pādo javano gṛhītā). It is also stated that
although God has neither eyes nor ears, He can see and hear everything.
These are apparent contradictions, but they are meant to teach us an
important lesson. When we speak of seeing, we think of material vision.
Due to our material conception, we think that the eyes of God must be
like ours. Therefore, in order to remove these material conceptions, the
Vedic literatures say that God has no hands, legs, eyes, ears, etc. God has
eyes, but His vision is infinite. He can see in darkness, and He can see
everywhere at once; therefore He has different eyes. Similarly, God has
ears and can hear. He may be in His kingdom, millions and millions of
miles away, but He can hear us whispering, because He is sitting within.
We cannot avoid God’s seeing, hearing, or touching.
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
 tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I
will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26) If God does not have senses, how can He accept
and eat the offerings that are presented to Him? According to ritual, we
are offering Kṛṣṇ a food daily, and we can see that the taste of this food is
immediately changed. This is a practical example. God eats, but because
He is full, He does not eat like us. If I offer you a plate of food, you will
eat it, and it will be finished. God is not hungry, but He eats, and at the
same time, He leaves the food as it is, and thus it is transformed
into prasāda, His
mercy. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate. God is full, yet
He accepts all the food that we offer. Still, the food remains as it is. He
can eat with His eyes. As stated in Brahma-
saṁhitā, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti: “Every sense of the
Lord’s body has all the potencies of the other senses.” Although we can
see with our eyes, we cannot eat with our eyes. The senses of God,
however, being infinite, are different. Simply by looking at the food that
is offered to Him, He eats it.
This may not be understood at the present moment; therefore
the Padma Purāṇa states that when one becomes spiritually saturated
by rendering transcendental service to the Lord, the transcendental
name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord are revealed. We cannot
understand God by our own endeavor, but out of mercy God reveals
Himself to us. If it is night, and you want to see the sun, you will have to
wait for the sun to appear in the morning. You cannot go outside with a
big torch and say, “Come on, I will show you the sunlight.” In the
morning, when the sun rises of its own will, we can see it. Because our
senses are imperfect, we cannot see God by our own endeavor. We have
to purify our senses and wait for the time when God will be pleased to
reveal Himself to us. That is the process. We cannot challenge God. We
cannot say, “O my dear God, my dear Kṛṣṇ a. Please come. I want to see
You.” No, God is not our order supplier. He is not our servant. When He
is pleased, we will see Him; therefore this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is a
process by which we can please God so that He will reveal Himself to us.
Because people cannot see God, they readily accept anyone who says,
“I am God.” Because people have no conception of God, they are eager to
accept any rascal who comes along and proclaims himself to be God.
People are fond of saying, “I am searching after the truth,” but in order
to search for the truth, we must know what the truth is. Otherwise, how
can we search it out? If we want to purchase gold, we must at least
theoretically know what gold is, otherwise we will be cheated.
Consequently, having no conception of the truth or of God, people are
being cheated by so many rascals who say, “I am God.” In a society of
rascals, one rascal accepts another rascal as God, and this is all the result
of rascaldom. But all this has nothing to do with God. One has to qualify
himself to see and understand God, and that process of qualification is
called Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphu
raty adaḥ: by engaging ourselves in God’s service, we become qualified
to see God. Otherwise it is not possible. We may be great scientists or
scholars, but our mundane scholarship will not help us see God.
This Bhagavad-gītā is the science of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, and in
order to understand Kṛṣṇ a, we must be fortunate enough to associate
with a person who is in pure Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. We cannot
understand Bhagavad-gītā simply by acquiring an M.A., Ph.D., or
whatever. Bhagavad-gītā is a transcendental science, and it requires
different senses in order to be understood. Our senses must be purified
by the rendering of service, not by the acquiring of academic degrees.
There are many Ph. D.’s, many scholars, who cannot understand Kṛṣṇ a.
Therefore Kṛṣṇ a appears in the material world. Although He is unborn
(ajo ’pi sann avyayātmā), He comes to reveal Himself to us.
Thus Kṛṣṇ a is realized by the grace of Kṛṣṇ a or by the grace of
a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person who has realized Kṛṣṇ a by the grace of Kṛṣṇ a.
We cannot understand Him through academic knowledge. We can only
understand Kṛṣṇ a by acquiring the grace of Kṛṣṇ a. Once we acquire His
grace, we can see Him, talk with Him—do whatever we desire. It is not
that Kṛṣṇ a is a void. He is a person, the Supreme Person, and we can
have a relationship with Him. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo
nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām: “We are all eternal persons, and God is
the supreme eternal person.” We are all eternal, and God is the supreme
eternal. Presently, because we are encaged within these bodies, we are
experiencing birth and death, but actually we are beyond birth and
death. We are eternal spirit souls, but according to our work and desires,
we are transmigrating from one body to another. It is explained in the
Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (2.20),
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does
he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and
primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”
 Just as God is eternal, we are also eternal, and when we establish our
eternal relationship with the supreme, complete eternal, we realize our
eternality. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. God is the supreme
living entity among all living entities, the supreme eternal among all
eternals. By Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, by purification of the senses, this
knowledge will be realized, and we will come to see God.
A Kṛṣṇ a conscious person has realized knowledge, by the grace
of Kṛṣṇ a, because he is satisfied with pure devotional service. By realized
knowledge, one becomes perfect. By transcendental knowledge one can
remain steady in his convictions, but by mere academic knowledge one
can be easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions. It is the
realized soul who is actually self-controlled, because he is surrendered
to Kṛṣṇ a. He is transcendental because he has nothing to do with
mundane scholarship. For him, mundane scholarship and mental
speculation, which may be as good as gold to others, are of no greater
value than pebbles or stones.
Even if one is illiterate, he can realize God simply by engaging himself
in submissive, transcendental loving service. God is not subjected to any
material condition. He is supreme spirit, and the process of realizing
Him is also beyond material considerations. Therefore, one may be a
very learned scholar and still not be able to understand God. One should
not think that because he is very poor he cannot realize God; nor should
one think that he can realize God just because he is very rich. God may
be understood by an uneducated person and misunderstood by one with
great education. The understanding of God, like God Himself, is
unconditional (apratihata).
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6) it is stated,
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
“The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which
men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord.
Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to
completely satisfy the self.” Cultivation of love of God: that is the
definition of first-class religion. Just as there are three guṇas, or three
qualities, in the material world, there are various religions, each situated
in one of the three modes. We are not, however, concerned with
analyzing these religious conceptions. For us, the purpose of religion is
to understand God and to learn how to love God. That is the real purpose
of any first-class religious system. If a religion does not teach love of
God, it is useless. One may follow his religious principles very carefully,
but if one does not possess love of God, his religion is null and void.
According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6) real religion must
be ahaitukī and apratihatā: without selfish motivation and without
impediment. By practicing such a religion, we will become happy in all
respects.
Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Another name
for God is adhokṣaja, which means “one who cannot be seen by
materialistic attempts.” That is to say that God conquers all our attempts
to see Him materially. The word akṣaja refers to experimental
knowledge, and adhaḥ means “unreachable.” So God cannot be reached
through experimental knowledge. We have to learn to contact Him in a
different way: through submissive hearing and the rendering of
transcendental loving service.
True religion teaches causeless love of God. It does not say, “I love
God because He supplies me nice objects for my sense gratification.”
That is not love. God is great, God is our eternal father, and it is our duty
to love Him. There is no question of barter or exchange. We should not
think, “Oh, God gives me my daily bread; therefore I love God.” God
gives daily bread even to the cats and dogs. Since He is the father of
everyone, He is supplying everyone food. So loving God for daily bread is
not love. Love is without reason. Even if God does not supply us our daily
bread, we should love Him. That is true love.
As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām ad
arśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā: “I know no one but Kṛṣṇ a as my
Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His
embrace or makes me broken-hearted by not being present before me.
He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my
worshipful Lord, unconditionally.” That is the sentiment of one who is
established in pure love of God. When we attain that stage of love of God,
we will find that everything is full of pleasure; God is full of pleasure, and
we also are full of pleasure.
suhṛn-mitrāry-udāsīna-
madhyastha-dveṣya-bandhuṣu
sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu
sama-buddhir viśiṣyate
“A person is said to be still further advanced when he regards all—the
honest well-wisher, friends and enemies, the envious, the pious, the
sinner, and those who are indifferent and impartial—with an equal
mind.” (Bg. 6.9) This is a sign of real spiritual advancement. In this
material world we are considering people friends and enemies on the
bodily platform—that is, on the basis of sense gratification. If one
gratifies our senses, he is our friend, and if he doesn’t, he is our enemy.
However, once we have realized God, or the Absolute Truth, there are no
such material considerations.
In this material world, all conditioned souls are under illusion. A
doctor treats all patients, and although a patient may be delirious and
insult the doctor, the doctor does not refuse to treat him. He still
administers the medicine that is required. As Lord Jesus Christ said, we
should hate the sin, not the sinner. That is a very nice statement, because
the sinner is under illusion. He is mad. If we hate him, how can we
deliver him? Therefore, those who are advanced devotees, who are really
servants of God, do not hate anyone. When Lord Jesus Christ was being
crucified, he said, “My God, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
This is the proper attitude of an advanced devotee. He understands that
the conditioned souls cannot be hated, because they have
become mad due to their materialistic way of thinking. In
this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness movement, there is no question of hating
anyone. Everyone is welcomed to come and chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a,
take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, listen to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, and try
to rectify material, conditioned life. This is the essential program
of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Therefore, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a as they are
given in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a
spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”
(Cc. Madhya 7.128)
yogi yuñjīta satatam
ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ
ekākī yata-cittātmā
nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ
“A transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the
Supreme Self; he should live alone in a secluded place and should always
carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of
possessiveness.” (Bg. 6.10)
In this chapter, in which the Lord is teaching the principles of
the yoga system, He here points out that a transcendentalist should
always try to concentrate his mind on the Supreme Self. “The Supreme
Self’ refers to Kṛṣṇ a, the Supreme Lord. As explained before (nityo
nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām), God is the supreme eternal, the supreme
living entity, the Supreme Self. The purpose of the entire yoga system is
to concentrate the mind on this Supreme Self. We are not the Supreme
Self. That should be understood. The Supreme Self is God. This
is dvaita-vāda—duality. Duality means that God is different from me.
He is supreme, and I am subordinate. He is great, and I am small. He is
infinite, and I am infinitesimal. This is the relationship between
ourselves and God as we should understand it. Because we are
infinitesimal, we should concentrate our mind on the infinite Supreme
Self. In order to do this, we should live alone, and “living alone” means
that we should not live with those who are not Kṛṣṇ a conscious. Ideally,
this means that one should live in a secluded place, like a forest or a
jungle, but in this age such a secluded place is very difficult to find.
Therefore “secluded place” refers to that place where God consciousness
is taught.
The transcendentalist should also carefully control his mind, and this
means fixing the mind on the Supreme Self, or Kṛṣṇ a. As explained
before, Kṛṣṇ a is just like the sun, and if the mind is fixed on Him, there is
no question of darkness. If Kṛṣṇ a is always on our minds, māyā, or
illusion, can never enter. This is the process of concentration.
The transcendentalist should also be free from desires and feelings of
possessiveness. People are materially diseased because they desire things
and want to possess them. We desire that which we do not have, and we
lament for that which we have lost. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
[Bg. 18.54]. One who is actually God conscious does not desire material
possessions. He has only one desire—to serve Kṛṣṇ a. It is not possible to
give up desire, but it is possible to purify our desires. It is the nature of
the living entity to have some desire, but in the conditioned state, one’s
desire is contaminated. Conditioned, one thinks, “I desire to satisfy my
senses by material possession.” Purified desire is desire for Kṛṣṇ a, and if
we desire Kṛṣṇ a, desires for material possessions will automatically
vanish.
śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya
sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ
nāty-ucchritaṁ nāti-nīcaṁ
cailājina-kuśottaram
tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛtvā
yata-cittendriya-kriyaḥ
upaviśyāsane yuñjyād
yogam ātma-viśuddhaye
“To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should
lay kuśa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft
cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be
situated in a sacred place. The yogī should then sit on it very firmly and
should practice yoga by controlling the mind and the senses, purifying
the heart, and fixing the mind on one point.” (Bg. 6.11–12) In these
verses it is emphasized how and where one should sit. In the United
States and other Western countries, there are many so-
called yoga societies, but they do not practice yoga according to these
prescriptions. “A sacred place” refers to a place of pilgrimage. In India,
the yogīs, the transcendentalists, or devotees, all leave home and reside
in sacred places such as Prayāga, Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Hṛṣīkeśa, and
Hardwar and in solitude practice yoga where the sacred rivers like
the Yamunā and the Ganges flow. So how is this possible in this age?
How many people are prepared to find such a sacred place? In order to
earn one’s livelihood, one has to live in a congested city. There is no
question of finding a sacred place, but for the practice of yoga, that is the
first prerequisite.
Therefore in this bhakti-yoga system, the temple is considered the
sacred place. The temple is nirguṇa—transcendental. According to
the Vedas, a city is in the mode of passion, and a forest is in the mode of
goodness. The temple, however, is transcendental. If you live in a city or
town, you live in a place where passion is predominant, and if you want
to escape this, you may go to a forest, a place of goodness. God’s temple,
however, is above passion and goodness; therefore the temple of Kṛṣṇ a is
the only secluded place for this age. In this age, it is not possible to
retreat to a forest; nor is it useful to make a show of practicing yoga in
so-called yoga societies and at the same time engage in nonsense.
Therefore, in the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa it is said that in Kali-yuga,
when people are generally short-lived slow in spiritual realization, and
always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual
realization is chanting the holy names of the Lord.
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Adi 17.21]
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is
chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no
other way. There is no other way.”
This is the solution, the grand gift of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this
age, other yoga practices are not feasible, but this practice is so simple
and universal that even a child can take to it.

Chapter Four
 Moderation in Yoga
In this Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the system of sāṅkhya-
yoga, which is the meditational aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, is
emphasized. Jñāna-yoga emphasizes the philosophical process of
analysis by which we determine what is Brahman and what is
not Brahman. This process is known as the neti neti process, or “not this,
not that.” In the beginning of the Vedānta-sūtra it is
stated, janmādy asya yataḥ: [SB 1.1.1] “The Supreme Brahman, the
Absolute Truth, is He from whom everything emanates.” This is a hint,
and from this we must try to understand the nature of the
Supreme Brahman, from whom everything is emanating. The nature of
that Absolute Truth is explained in detail in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
In the first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated,
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
“O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of
Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause
of all causes of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the
manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all
manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause
beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto
the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great
sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the
illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only
because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the
reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are
unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, who is eternally
existent in the transcendental abode. which is forever free from the
illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for
He is the Absolute Truth.”
Thus from the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the Absolute
Truth is proclaimed to be cognizant. He is not dead or void. And what is
the nature of His cognizance? Anvayād itarataś cārtheṣu: “He is directly
and indirectly cognizant of all manifestations.” To a limited degree, each
and every living entity is cognizant, but we are not completely cognizant.
I may claim, “This is my head,” but if someone asks me, “Do you know
how many hairs are on your head?” I will not be able to reply. Of course,
this kind of knowledge is not transcendental, but in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam it is stated that the Supreme Absolute Truth knows
everything, directly and indirectly. I may know that I am eating, but I do
not know the intricacies of the eating process—how my body is exactly
assimilating food, how the blood is passing through my veins, etc. I am
cognizant that my body is functioning, but I do not know how these
processes are working perfectly and all at once. This is because my
knowledge is limited.
By definition, God is He who knows everything. He knows what is
going on in every corner of His creation; therefore, from the very
beginning, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains that the Supreme Truth from
whom everything is emanating is supremely cognizant (abhijñaḥ). One
may ask, “If the Absolute Truth is so powerful, wise, and cognizant, He
must have attained this knowledge from some similar being.” This is not
the case. If He attains His knowledge from someone else, He is not
God. Svarāṭ. He is independent, and His knowledge is automatically
there.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the supreme combination of both
the jñāna- and bhakti-yoga systems, because it analyzes in detail the
nature of that Supreme Being from whom everything is emanating. By
the jñāna-yoga system, one attempts to understand the nature of the
Absolute Truth in a philosophical way. In the bhakti-yoga system, the
target is the same. The methodology, however, is somewhat different.
Whereas the jñānī attempts to concentrate his mind philosophically on
the Supreme, the bhakta simply engages himself in the service of the
Supreme Lord, and the Lord reveals Himself. The jñāna method is called
the ascending process, and the bhakti method is called the descending
process. If we are in the darkness of night, we may attempt to attain the
sunlight by ascending in a powerful rocket. According to the descending
process, however, we simply await the sunrise, and then we understand
immediately.
Through the ascending process, we attempt to reach the Supreme
through our own endeavor, through the process of induction. By
induction, we may attempt to find out whether man is mortal by
studying thousands of men, trying to see whether they are mortal or
immortal. This, of course, will take a great deal of time. If, however, I
accept from superior authority the fact that all men are mortal, my
knowledge is complete and immediate. Thus it is stated in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (10.14.29), “My dear Lord, a person who has received a
little favor from You can understand You very quickly. But those who are
trying to understand You by the ascending process may go on
speculating for millions of years and still never understand You.”
 By mental speculation, one is more likely to simply reach a point of
frustration and confusion and conclude, “Oh, God is zero.” But if God is
zero, how are so many figures emanating from Him? As
the Vedānta says (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]), “Everything is
generating from the Supreme.” Therefore the Supreme cannot be zero.
We have to study how so many forms, so many infinite living entities, are
being generated from the Supreme. This is also explained in
the Vedānta-sūtra, which is the study of ultimate knowledge. The
word veda means “knowledge,” and anta means “ultimate.” Ultimate
knowledge is knowledge of the Supreme Lord.
So how is it possible to understand the form of Kṛṣṇ a? If it is stated
that God does not have eyes, limbs, and senses like ours, how are we to
understand His transcendental senses, His transcendental form? This is
not possible by mental speculation. We simply have to serve Him, and
then He will reveal Himself to us. As Kṛṣṇ a Himself states in the Tenth
Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (10.11),
teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
“Out of compassion for them, l, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the
shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” Kṛṣṇ a is
within us, and when we are sincerely searching for Him by the
devotional process, He will reveal Himself.
Again, as stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (18.55),
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by
devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme
Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” Thus God
has to be understood by this process of bhakti-yoga, which is the process
of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]—hearing and chanting
about Viṣṇ u. This is the beginning of the bhakti-yoga process. If we but
hear sincerely and submissively, we will understand. Kṛṣṇ a will reveal
Himself. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcan
aṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam. There are nine different processes in the bhakti-
yoga system. By vandanam, we offer prayers, and that is also bhakti.
Śravaṇam is hearing about Kṛṣṇ a fro m Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, and other śāstras. Kīrtanam is chanting about His glories,
chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇ a mantra. This is the beginning of the bhakti-
yoga process. Śravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]. Everything
is Viṣṇ u, and meditation is on Viṣṇ u. It is not possible to
have bhakti without Viṣṇ u. Kṛṣṇ a is the original form
of Viṣṇ u (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: “Kṛṣṇ a is the original form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead”). If we but follow this bhakti-
yoga process, we should be able to understand the Supreme, and all
doubts should be removed.
The aṣṭāṅga-yoga process is outlined very specifically in the Sixth
Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (6.13–14):
samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvam-
dhārayann acalaṁ sthiraḥ
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ
diśaś cānavalokayan
praśāntātmā vigata-bhīr
brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ
manaḥ saṁyamya mac-citto
yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
“One should hold one’s body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and
stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued
mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate
upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of
life.” Yoga does not mean going to some class, paying some money,
engaging in gymnastics, and then returning home to drink, smoke, and
engage in sex. Such yoga is practiced by societies of the cheaters and the
cheated. The authoritative yoga system is here outlined by the supreme
authority, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a Himself. Is there a better yogi than Kṛṣṇ a, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead? First of all, one has to go alone to a
holy place and sit in a straight line, holding one’s body, neck, and head
erect, and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Why is this? This is a
method to help concentrate one’s mind. That’s all. The real purpose
of yoga, however, is to keep oneself always aware that Lord Kṛṣṇ a is
within.
One of the dangers of sitting in meditation and staring at the tip of
one’s nose is that one will fall asleep. I have seen many so-called
meditators sitting like this and snoring. As soon as one closes his eyes, it
is natural to feel sleepy; therefore it is recommended that the eyes are
half closed. Thus it is said that one should look at the tip of his nose.
With one’s sight thus concentrated, the mind should be subdued and
unagitated. In India, the yogī often goes to a jungle to practice such
meditation in solitude. But in a jungle, the yogī may think, “Maybe some
tiger or snake is coming. What is that noise?” In this way, his mind may
be agitated; therefore it is especially stated that the yogī must be “devoid
of fear.” A deerskin is especially recommended as a yoga-āsana, because
it contains a chemical property that repels snakes; thus the yogī will not
be disturbed by serpents. Whatever the case—serpents, tigers, or lions—
one can be truly fearless only when he is established
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Due to perverted memory, the conditioned soul
is naturally fearful. Fear is due to forgetting one’s eternal relationship
with Kṛṣṇ a. According to Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (11.2.37): bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād
īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ. Kṛṣṇ a consciousness provides the only
true basis for fearlessness; therefore perfect practice of yoga is not
possible for one who is not Kṛṣṇ a conscious.
The yogī must also be “completely free from sex life.” If one indulges
in sex, he cannot concentrate; therefore brahmacarya, complete
celibacy, is recommended to make the mind steady. By practicing
celibacy, one cultivates determination. One modern example of such
determination is that of Mahatma Gandhi, who was determined to resist
the powerful British empire by means of nonviolence. At this time, India
was dependent on the British, and the people had no weapons. The
Britishers, being more powerful, easily cut down whatever violent
revolutions the people attempted. Therefore Gandhi resorted to
nonviolence, noncooperation. “I shall not fight with the Britishers,” he
declared, “and even if they react with violence, I shall remain nonviolent.
In this way the world will sympathize with us.” Such a policy required a
great amount of determination, and Gandhi’s determination was very
strong because he was a brahmacārī. Although he had children and a
wife, he renounced sex at the age of thirty-six. It was this sexual
renunciation that enabled him to be so determined that he was able to
lead his country and drive the British from India.
Thus, refraining from sex enables one to be very determined and
powerful. It is not necessary to do anything else. This is a secret people
are not aware of. If you want to do something with determination, you
have to refrain from sex. Regardless of the process—be it haṭha-
yoga, bhakti-yoga, jñāna-yoga, or whatever—sex indulgence is not
allowed. Sex is allowed only for householders who want to beget good
children and raise them in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Sex is not meant for
sense enjoyment, although enjoyment is there by nature. Unless there is
some enjoyment, why should one assume the responsibility of begetting
children? That is the secret of nature’s gift, but we should not take
advantage of it. These are the secrets of life. By taking advantage and
indulging in sex life, we are simply wasting our time. If one tells you that
you can indulge in sex as much as you like and at the same time become
a yogī, he is cheating you. If some so-called guru tells you to give him
money in exchange for some mantra and that you can go on and engage
in all kinds of nonsense, he is just cheating you. Because we want
something sublime and yet want it cheaply, we put ourselves in a
position to be cheated. This means that we actually want to be cheated. If
we want something valuable, we must pay for it. We cannot expect to
walk into a jewelry store and demand the most valuable jewel for a mere
ten cents. No, we must pay a great deal. Similarly, if we want perfection
in yoga, we have to pay by abstaining from sex. Perfection in yoga is not
something childish, and Bhagavad-gītā instructs us that if we try to
make yoga into something childish, we will be cheated. There are many
cheaters awaiting us, waiting to take our money, giving us nothing, and
then leaving. But according to Śrī Kṛṣṇ a’s authoritative statement
in Bhagavad-gītā, one must be “completely free from sex life.” Being
free from sex, one should “meditate upon Me within the heart and make
Me the ultimate goal of life.” This is real meditation.
Kṛṣṇ a does not recommend meditation on the void. He specifically
states, “meditate upon Me.” The viṣṇu-mūrti is situated in one’s heart,
and meditation upon Him is the object of yoga. This is the sāṅkhya-
yoga system, as first practiced by Lord Kapiladeva, an incarnation of
God. By sitting straight, staring steadily at the tip of one’s nose, subduing
one’s mind, and abstaining from sex, one may be able to concentrate the
mind on the viṣṇu-mūrti situated within the heart. When we refer to
the Viṣṇ u form, or viṣṇu-mūrti, we refer to Śrī Kṛṣṇ a.
In this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness movement we are meditating directly on
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a. This is a process of practical meditation. The members of this
movement are concentrating their minds on Kṛṣṇ a, regardless of their
particular occupation. One may be working in the garden and digging in
the earth, but he is thinking, “I am cultivating beautiful roses to offer
to Kṛṣṇ a.” One may be cooking in the kitchen, but he is always thinking,
“I am preparing palatable food to be offered to Kṛṣṇ a.” Similarly,
chanting and dancing in the temple are forms of meditating on Kṛṣṇ a.
Thus the boys and girls in this Society for Kṛṣṇ a consciousness are
perfect yogīs because they are meditating on Kṛṣṇ a twenty-four hours a
day. We are teaching the perfect yoga system, not according to our
personal whims but according to the authority of Bhagavad-
gītā. Nothing is concocted or manufactured. The verses of Bhagavad-
gītā are there for all to see. The activities of the bhakti-yogīs in this
movement are so molded that the practitioners cannot help but think
of Kṛṣṇ a at all times. “Meditate upon Me within the heart, and make Me
the ultimate goal of life,” Śrī Kṛṣṇ a says. This is the perfect yoga system,
and one who practices it prepares himself to be transferred to Kṛṣṇ aloka.
 yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ
yogī niyata-mānasa h
śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ
mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati
“Thus practicing control of the body, mind, and activities, the mystic
transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of Kṛṣṇ a]
by cessation of material existence.” (Bg. 6.15)
It is stated in Sanskrit in this verse, śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramām; that
is, one attains peace through nirvāṇa-paramām, or the cessation of
material activities. Nirvāṇa does not refer to void, but to putting an end
to materialistic activities. Unless one puts an end to them, there is no
question of peace. When Hiraṇ yakaśipu asked his five-year-old
son Prahlāda Mahārāja, “My dear boy, what is the best thing you have
thus far learned?” Prahlāda immediately
replied, tat sādhu manye ’sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-
dhiyām asad-grahāt [SB 7.5.5]: “My dear father, O greatest of the
demons, materialistic people are always full of anxiety because they have
accepted as real that which is nonpermanent.” The word asad-grahāt is
important because it indicates that materialists are always hankering to
capture or possess something that is nonpermanent. History affords us
many examples. Mr. Kennedy was a very rich man who wanted to
become President, and he spent a great deal of money to attain that
elevated position. Yet although he had a nice wife, children, and the
presidency, everything was finished within a second. In the material
world, people are always trying to capture something that is
nonpermanent. Unfortunately, people do not come to their senses and
realize, “I am permanent. I am spirit soul. Why am I hankering after
something that is nonpermanent?”
We are always busy acquiring comforts for this body without
considering that today, tomorrow, or in a hundred years this body will be
finished. As far as the real “I” is concerned, “I am spirit soul. I have no
birth. I have no death. What, then, is my proper function?” When we act
on the material platform, we are engaged in bodily functions;
therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that people are anxious because all
their activities are targeted to capturing and possessing something
nonpermanent. All living entities—men, beasts, birds, or whatever—are
always full of anxiety, and this is the material disease. If we are always
full of anxiety, how can we attain peace? People may live in a very nice
house, but out front they place signs saying, “Beware of Dog,” or “No
Trespassers.” This means that although they are living comfortably, they
are anxious that someone will come and molest them. Sitting in an office
and earning a very good salary, a man is always thinking, “Oh, I hope I
don’t lose this position.” The American nation is very rich, but because of
this, it has to maintain a great defense force. So who is free from anxiety?
The conclusion is that if we want peace without anxiety, we have to come
to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. There is no alternative.
In order to attain peace, we must meditate on Kṛṣṇ a, and by
meditating on Kṛṣṇ a, we can control the body. The first part of the body
to control is the tongue, and the next part is the genital. When these are
controlled, everything is controlled. The tongue is controlled by chanting
and eating kṛṣṇa-prasāda. As soon as the tongue is controlled, the
stomach is controlled, and next the genitals are controlled. Actually,
controlling the body and mind is a very simple process. When the mind
is fixed on Kṛṣṇ a and has no other engagement, it is automatically
controlled. Activities should always be centered on working for Kṛṣṇ a—
gardening, typing, cooking, cleaning, whatever. By engaging the body,
mind, and activities in the service of Kṛṣṇ a, one attains the
supreme nirvāṇa, which abides in Kṛṣṇ a. Everything is in Kṛṣṇ a;
therefore we cannot find peace outside Kṛṣṇ a conscious activities.
The ultimate goal of yoga is thus clearly explained. Yoga is not meant
for attaining any kind of material facility; it is to enable the cessation of
all material existence. As long as we require some material facilities, we
will get them. But these facilities will not solve the problems of life. I
have traveled throughout the world, and it is my opinion that American
boys and girls have the best material facilities, but does this mean that
they have attained peace? Can anyone say, “Yes, I am completely
peaceful”? If this is so, why are American youngsters so frustrated and
confused?
As long as we practice yoga in order to attain some material facility,
there will be no question of peace. Yoga should only be practiced in
order to understand Kṛṣṇ a. Yoga is meant for the reestablishment of our
lost relationship with Kṛṣṇ a. Generally, one joins a yoga society in order
to improve his health, to reduce fat. People in rich nations eat more,
become fat, and then pay exorbitant prices to so-called yoga instructors
in order to reduce. People try to reduce by all these artificial gymnastics;
they do not understand that if they just eat vegetables or fruits and
grains, they will never get fat. People get fat because they eat voraciously,
because they eat meat. People who eat voraciously suffer from diabetes,
overweight, heart attacks, etc., and those who eat insufficiently suffer
from tuberculosis. Therefore moderation is required, and moderation in
eating means that we eat only what is needed to keep body and soul
together. If we eat more than we need or less, we will become diseased.
All this is explained in the following verses:
 nāty-aśnatas tu yogo ’sti
na caikāntam anaśnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya
jāgrato naiva cārjuna
“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a yogī, O Arjuna, if one eats
too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much, or does not sleep enough.”
(Bg. 6.16)
yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā
“He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and
recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.”
(Bg. 6.17) It is not that we are to starve ourselves. The body must be kept
fit for any practice; therefore eating is required, and according to our
program, we eat only kṛṣṇa-prasāda. If you can comfortably eat ten
pounds of food a day, then eat it, but if you try to eat ten pounds out of
greed or avarice, you will suffer.
So in the practice of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, all these activities are
present, but they are spiritualized. The cessation of material existence
does not mean entering into “the void,” which is only a myth. There is no
void anywhere within the creation of the Lord. I am not void but spirit
soul. If I were void, how would my bodily development take place?
Where is this “void”? If we sow a seed in the ground, it grows into a plant
or large tree. The father injects a seed into the womb of the mother, the
body grows like a tree. Where is there void? In the Fourteenth Chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā (14.4), Śrī Kṛṣṇ a states,
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made
possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving
father.” The seed is originally given by Kṛṣṇ a, placed in the womb of
material nature, and thus many living entities are generated. How can
one argue against this process? If the seed of existence is void, how has
this body developed?
Nirvāṇa actually means not accepting another material body. It’s not
that we attempt to make this body void. Nirvāṇa means making the
miserable, material, conditional body void—that is, converting the
material body into a spiritual body. This means entering into the
kingdom of God, which is described in the Fifteenth Chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā (15.6):
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
sa śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by
electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.”
So there is no void anywhere within the Lord’s creation. All the
planets in the spiritual sky are self-illumined, like the sun. The kingdom
of God is everywhere, but the spiritual sky and the planets thereof are
all paraṁ dhāma, or superior abodes. As stated, sunlight, moonlight, or
electricity are not required in the param-dhāma. We cannot find such an
abode within this universe. We may travel as far as possible within our
spaceships, but we will not find any place where there is no sunlight. The
sunlight is so extensive that it pervades the universe. Therefore, that
abode in which there is no sunlight, moonlight, or electricity is beyond
this material sky. Beyond this material nature is a spiritual nature.
Actually, we know nothing of this material nature; we do not even know
how it was originally formed. So how can we know anything about the
spiritual nature beyond? We have to learn from Kṛṣṇ a, who lives there;
otherwise we remain in ignorance.
In this Bhagavad-gītā, information of the spiritual sky is given. How
can we know anything about that which we cannot reach? Our senses are
so imperfect, how can we attain knowledge? We just have to hear and
accept. How will we ever know who our father is unless we accept the
word of our mother? Our mother says, “Here is your father,” and we have
to accept this. We cannot determine our father by making inquiries here
and there or by attempting to experiment. This knowledge is beyond our
means. Similarly, if we want to learn about the spiritual sky, God’s
kingdom, we have to hear from the authority,
mother Vedas. The Vedas are called veda-mātā, or
mother Vedas, because the knowledge imparted therein is like that
knowledge received from the mother. We have to believe in order to
acquire knowledge. There is no possibility of acquiring this
transcendental knowledge by experimenting with our imperfect senses.
A consummate yogī, who is perfect in understanding Lord Kṛṣṇ a, as is
clearly stated herein (śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ mat-
saṁsthām adhigacchati) by the Lord Himself, can attain real peace and
ultimately reach the supreme abode of the Lord. This abode is known as
Kṛṣṇ aloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is clearly
stated (goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs. 5.37]) that the Lord,
although residing always in His abode called Goloka, is the all-
pervading Brahman and the localized Paramātmā as well, by dint of His
superior spiritual energies. No one can reach the spiritual sky or enter
into the eternal abode of the Lord (Vaikuṇ ṭha, Goloka Vṛndāvana)
without properly understanding Kṛṣṇ a and His plenary expansion Viṣṇ u.
And according to Brahma-saṁhitā, it is necessary to learn from our
authorized mother, veda-mātā. Brahma-saṁhitā states that the
Supreme Lord is living not only in His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, but
everywhere: goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs. 5.37]. He is
like the sun, which is millions of miles away and yet is still present within
this room.
In conclusion, the person who works in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the
perfect yogī, because his mind is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇ a’s
activities. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ. In the Vedas we also
learn, tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti: “One can overcome the path of
birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Kṛṣṇ a.” Thus perfection of yoga is the attainment of freedom
from material existence and not some magical jugglery or gymnastic feat
to befool innocent people.
In this system of yoga, moderation is required; therefore it is stated
that we should not eat too much or too little, sleep too much or too little,
or work too much or too little. All these activities are there because we
have to execute the yoga system with this material body. In other words,
we have to make the best use of a bad bargain. The material body is a bad
bargain in the sense that it is the source of all miseries. The spirit soul
does not experience misery, and the normal condition of the living entity
is his healthy, spiritual life. Misery and disease occur due to material
contamination, disease, infection. So in a sense, material existence is a
diseased condition of the soul. And what is that disease? The answer is
not a great mystery. The disease is this body. This body is actually not
meant for me. It may be “my” body, but it is a symptom of my diseased
condition. In any case, I should identify with this body no more than I
should identify with my clothes. In this world, we are all differently
dressed. We are dressed as red men, brown men, white men, black men,
yellow men, etc., or as Indians, Americans, Hindus, Muslims, Christians,
etc. All these designations are not symptomatic of our actual position but
of our diseased condition. The yoga system is meant to cure this disease
by connecting us again with the Supreme.
We are meant to be connected with the Supreme just as our hand is
meant to be connected to our body. We are part and parcel of the
Supreme, just as the hand is part and parcel of the body. When the hand
is severed from the body, it is valueless, but when it is joined to the body,
it is invaluable. Similarly, in this material condition, we are disconnected
from God. Actually, the word disconnected is not precise, because the
connection is always there. God is always supplying all our necessities.
Since nothing can exist without Kṛṣṇ a, we cannot be disconnected from
Him. Rather, it is better to say that we have forgotten that we are
connected to Kṛṣṇ a. Because of this forgetfulness, we have entered the
criminal department of the universe. The government still takes care of
its criminals, but they are legally disconnected from the civilian state.
Our disconnection is a result of our engaging in so many nonsensical
activities instead of utilizing our senses in the performance of
our Kṛṣṇ a conscious duties.
Instead of thinking, “I am the eternal servant of God, or Kṛṣṇ a,” we
are thinking, “I am the servant of my society, my country, my husband,
my wife, my dog, or whatever.” This is called forgetfulness. How has this
come about? All these misconceptions have arisen due to this body.
Because I was born in America, I am thinking that I am an American.
Each society teaches its citizens to think in this way. Because I am
thinking that I am an American, the American government can tell me,
“Come and fight. Give your life for your country.” This is all due to the
bodily conception; therefore an intelligent person should know that he is
suffering miseries due to his body and that he should not act in such a
way that he will continue to be imprisoned within a material body birth
after birth. According to Padma Purāṇa, there are 8,400,000 species of
life, and all are but different forms of contamination—whether one has
an American body, an Indian body, a dog’s body, a hog’s body, or
whatever. Therefore the first instruction in yoga is, “I am not this body.”
Attaining liberation from the contamination of the material body is
the first teaching of Bhagavad-gītā. In the Second Chapter,
after Arjuna told Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, “I shall not fight,” the Lord said, “While
speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of
grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.”
(Bg. 2.11) In other words, Arjuna was thinking on the bodily platform.
He wanted to leave the battlefield because he did not want to fight with
his relatives. All his conceptions were within the bodily atmosphere;
therefore after Arjuna accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇ a as his spiritual master, the
Lord immediately chastised him, just as a master chastises his disciple in
order to teach him. Essentially, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a told Arjuna, “You are talking
very wisely, as if you know so many things, but actually you are speaking
nonsense, because you are speaking from the bodily position.” Similarly,
people throughout the world are posing themselves as highly advanced
in education, science, philosophy, politics, etc., but their position is on
the bodily platform.
 A vulture may rise very high in the sky—seven or eight miles—and it is
wonderful to see him fly in this way. He also has powerful eyes, for he
can spot a carcass from a great distance. Yet what is the object of all
these great qualifications? A dead body, a rotting carcass. His perfection
is just to discover a dead piece of meat and eat it. That’s all. Similarly, we
may have a very high education, but what is our objective? Sense
enjoyment, the enjoyment of this material body. We may rise very high
with our spaceships, but what is the purpose? Sense gratification, that’s
all. This means that all the striving and all this high education are merely
on the animal platform.
Therefore we should first of all know that our miserable material
condition is due to this body. At the same time, we should know that this
body is not permanent. Although I identify with my body, family, society,
country, and so many other things, how long will these objects exist?
They are not permanent. Asat is a word meaning that they will cease to
exist. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: [SB 5.5.4] “The body is simply
troublesome and impermanent.”
Many people come to us saying, “Swāmījī, my position is so
troublesome,” but as soon as we suggest the medicine, they will not
accept it. This means that people want to manufacture their own
medicine. Why do we go to a physician if we want to treat ourselves?
People want to accept only what they think is palatable.
Although we are suggesting that this body is useless and is a form of
contamination, we are not recommending that it be abused. We may use
a car to carry us to work, but this does not mean that we should not take
care of the car. We should take care of the car for it to carry us to and fro,
but we should not become so attached to it that we are polishing it every
day. We must utilize this material body in order to
execute Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, and to this end we should keep it fit and
healthy, but we should not become too attached to it. That is
called yukta-vairāgya. The body should not be neglected. We should
bathe regularly, eat regularly, sleep regularly in order to keep mind and
body healthy. Some people say that the body should be renounced and
that we should take some drugs and abandon ourselves to intoxication,
but this is not a yoga process. Kṛṣṇ a has given us nice food—fruits,
grains, vegetables, and milk—and we can prepare hundreds and
thousands of nice preparations and offer them to the Lord. Our process
is to eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda and to satisfy the tongue in that way. But we
should not be greedy and eat dozens of samosās, sweetballs,
and rasagullās. No. We should eat and sleep just enough to keep the
body fit, and no more. It is stated,
 yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā
“He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and
recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.”
(Bg. 6.17)
Although we should minimize our eating and sleeping, we should not
attempt this too rapidly, at the risk of becoming sick. Because people are
accustomed to eating voraciously, there are prescriptions for fasting. We
can reduce our sleeping and eating, but we should remain in good health
for spiritual purposes. We should not attempt to reduce eating and
sleeping too rapidly or artificially; when we advance we will naturally not
feel pain due to the reduction of these natural bodily processes. In this
respect, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī offers a good example. Although a
very rich man’s son, Raghunātha dāsa left his home to join
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because he was the only
son, Raghunātha dāsa was very beloved by his father. Understanding
that his son had gone to Jagannātha Purī to join Lord Caitanya, the
father sent four servants with money to attend him. At
first, Raghunātha accepted the money, thinking, “Oh, since my father
has sent all this money, I will accept it and invite all the sannyāsīs to
feast.”
After some time, however, the feasts came to an end.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu then inquired from His
secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, “Nowadays I don’t receive any invitations
from Raghunātha. What has happened?”
“That is because Raghunātha has stopped accepting his father’s
money.”
“Oh, that’s very nice,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said.
“Raghunātha was thinking, ‘Although I have renounced everything, I
am still enjoying my father’s money. This is hypocritical.’ Therefore he
has told the servants to go home and has refused the money.”
“So how is he living?” Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired.
“Oh, he’s standing on the steps of the Jagannātha temple, and when
the priests pass him on their way home, they offer him some prasāda. In
this way, he is satisfied.”
“This is very nice,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu commented.
Regularly going to the Jagannātha temple,
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would see Raghunātha standing on the
steps. After a few days, however, He no longer saw him there. Therefore
the Lord commented to His secretary, “I no longer
see Raghunātha standing on the temple steps.”
“He has given that up,” Svarūpa Dāmodara explained. “He was
thinking, ‘Oh, I am standing here just like a prostitute, waiting for
someone to come and give me food. No. I don’t like this at all.’ ”
“That is very nice,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “but how is he
eating?”
“Every day he is collecting some rejected rice from the kitchen and is
eating that.”
To encourage Raghunātha, Caitanya Mahāprabhu one day visited
him. “Raghunātha,” the Lord said, “I hear that you are eating very
palatable food. Why are you not inviting Me?”
Raghunātha did not reply, but the Lord quickly found the place where
he kept the rice, and the Lord immediately took some and began to eat it.
“Dear Lord,” Raghunātha implored, “please do not eat this. It is not fit
for You.”
“Oh, no? Why do you say it’s not fit for Me? It’s Lord
Jagannātha’s prasāda!”
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu enacted this pastime just to
discourage Raghunātha from thinking, “I am eating this miserable,
rejected rice.” Through the Lord’s
encouragement, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī reduced his daily quantity of
food until he was finally eating only one pat of butter every other day.
And every day he was also bowing down hundreds of times and
constantly chanting the holy names. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-
natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau.
Although this is an excellent example of minimizing all material
necessities, we should not try to imitate it. It is not possible for an
ordinary man to imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, who was one of the
six Gosvāmīs, a highly elevated associate of
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Each one of the six Gosvāmīs
displayed a unique example of how one can advance
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, but it is not our duty to imitate them. We should
just try to follow, as far as possible, in their footsteps. If we immediately
try to become like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī by imitating him, we are
sure to fail, and whatever progress we have made will be defeated.
Therefore the Lord says (Bg. 6.16) that there is no possibility of one’s
becoming a yogī if one eats too much or too little.
The same moderation applies to sleep. Presently I may be sleeping ten
hours a day, but if I can keep myself fit by sleeping five hours, why sleep
ten? As far as the body is concerned, there are four demands—eating,
sleeping, mating, and defending. The problem with modern civilization
is that it is trying to increase these demands, but they should be
decreased instead. Eat what we need, and sleep when we need, and our
health will be excellent. There is no question of artificial imitation.
And what is the result obtained by one who is temperate in his habits?
yadā viniyataṁ cittam
ātmany evāvatiṣṭhate
nispṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyo
yukta ity ucyate tadā
“When the yogī, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and
becomes situated in Transcendence—devoid of all material desires—he is
said to have attained yoga.” (Bg. 6.18)
The perfection of yoga means keeping the mind in a state of
equilibrium. Materially speaking, this is impossible. After reading a
mundane novel once, you will not want to read it again, but you can
read Bhagavad-gītā four times a day and still not tire of it. You may
chant someone’s name a half an hour, or sing a mundane song three or
four times, but before long this becomes tiresome. Hare Kṛṣṇ a, however,
can be chanted day and night, and one will never tire of it. Therefore it is
only through transcendental vibration that the mind can be kept in a
state of equilibrium. When one’s mental activities are thus stabilized, one
is said to have attained yoga.
The perfectional stage of yoga was exhibited by King Ambarīṣa, who
utilized all his senses in the service of the Lord. As stated in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (9.4.18–20),
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane
karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau
tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam
ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe
śrīmat-tulasyā rasanaṁ tad-arpite
pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe
śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane
kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā
yathottamaśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ
“King Ambarīṣa first of all engaged his mind on the lotus feet of
Lord Kṛṣṇ a; then, one after another, he engaged his words in describing
the transcendental qualities of the Lord, his hands in mopping the
temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing of the activities of the Lord, his
eyes in seeing the transcendental forms of the Lord, his body in touching
the bodies of the devotees, his sense of smell in smelling the scents of the
lotus flowers offered to the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasī leaf
offered at the temple of the Lord, his head in offering obeisances unto
the Lord, and his desires in executing the mission of the Lord. All these
transcendental activities are quite befitting a pure devotee.”
This, then, is the perfection of yoga devoid of all material desire. If all
our desires are for Kṛṣṇ a, there is no scope for material desire. All
material desire is automatically finished. We don’t have to try to
concentrate artificially. All perfection is there in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness
because it is on the spiritual platform. Being on the spiritual platform,
this supreme yoga is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. Therefore
there are no misgivings or material impediments.

Chapter Five
Determination and Steadiness in Yoga
yathā dīpo nivāta-stho
neṅgate sopamā smṛtā
yogino yata-cittasya
yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ
“As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist,
whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the
transcendent Self.” (Bg. 6.19)
If the mind is absorbed in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, it will remain as
steady as the flame of a candle that is in a room where there is no wind.
Therefore it is said that a truly Kṛṣṇ a conscious person always absorbed
in transcendence, in constant undisturbed meditation on his
worshipable Lord, is as steady as a lamp or candle in a windless place.
Just as the flame is not agitated, the mind is not agitated, and that
steadiness is the perfection of yoga.
The state of one thus steadily situated in meditation on the
transcendent Self, or the Supreme Lord, is described by Śrī Kṛṣṇ a in the
following verses of Bhagavad-gītā (6.20–23):
yatroparamate cittaṁ
niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā
 yatra caivātmanātmānaṁ
paśyann ātmani tuṣyati
sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad
buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam
vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ
sthitaś calati tattvataḥ
yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthito na duḥkhena
guruṇāpi vicālyate
taṁ vidyād duḥkha-saṁyoga-
viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam
“The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one’s mind is
completely restrained from material mental activities by practice
of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the Self by the pure
mind and to relish and rejoice in the Self. In that joyous state, one is
situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself
through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from
the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being
situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of
greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising
from material contact.”
Samādhi does not mean making oneself void or merging into the
void. That is impossible. Kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-
cetasām [Bg. 12.5]. Some yogīs say that one has to put an end to all
activities and make himself motionless, but how is this possible? By
nature, the living entity is a moving, acting spirit. “Motionless” means
putting an end to material motion and being fixed
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. In such a state, one is no longer disturbed by
material propensities. As one becomes materially motionless, one’s
motions in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness increase. As one becomes active
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, one becomes automatically motionless in
respect to material activities.
I have often used the example of a restless child. Since it is impossible
to make such a child motionless, it is necessary to give him some
playthings or some pictures to look at. In this way, he will be engaged, or
motionless in the sense that he will not be committing some mischief.
But if one really wants to make him motionless, one must give him some
engagement in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Then there will be no scope for
mischievous activities, due to realization in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. To be
engaged in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, one should first realize, “I am Kṛṣṇ a’s. I
am not this matter. I am not of this nation or of this society. I do not
belong to this rascal or that rascal. I am simply Kṛṣṇ a’s.” This is
motionless; this is full knowledge, realizing our actual position as part
and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a. As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter
(Bg. 15.7), mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke: “The living entities in this
conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts.” As soon as we
understand this, we immediately cease our material activities, and this is
what is meant by being motionless. In this state, one sees the Self by the
pure mind and relishes and rejoices in the Self. “Pure mind” means
understanding, “I belong to Kṛṣṇ a.” At the present moment, the mind is
contaminated because we are thinking, “I belong to this; I belong to
that.” The mind is pure when it understands, “I belong to Kṛṣṇ a.”
Rejoicing in the Self means rejoicing with Kṛṣṇ a. Kṛṣṇ a is the
Supersoul, or the Superself. I am the individual soul, or the individual
self. The Superself and the self enjoy together. Enjoyment cannot be
alone; there must be two. What experience do we have of solitary
enjoyment? Solitary enjoyment is not possible. Enjoyment means
two: Kṛṣṇ a, who is the Supersoul, and the individual soul.
If one is convinced that “I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a,” one is not
disturbed even in the midst of the greatest difficulties, because one
knows that Kṛṣṇ a will give protection. That is surrender. To attain this
position, one must try his best, use his intelligence, and believe
in Kṛṣṇ a. Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha (Bhāg. 7.9.19).
If Kṛṣṇ a does not protect us, nothing can save us. If Kṛṣṇ a neglects us,
there is no remedy, and whatever measures we take to try to protect
ourselves will be ultimately defeated. There may be many expert
physicians treating a diseased man, but that is no guarantee that he will
live. If Kṛṣṇ a so wills, a person will die despite the best physicians and
medicines. On the other hand, if Kṛṣṇ a is protecting us, we will survive
even without medical treatment. When one is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇ a,
he becomes happy, knowing that regardless of the situation, Kṛṣṇ a will
protect him. He is just like a child who is fully surrendered to his
parents, confident that they are there to protect him. As stated by
Yāmunācārya in his Stotra-ratna (43), kadāham aikāntika-nitya-
kiṅkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha jīvitam: “O Lord, when shall I
engage as Your permanent, eternal servant and always feel joyful to have
such a perfect master?” If we know that there is someone very powerful
who is our patron and savior, aren’t we happy? But if we try to act on our
own and at our own risk, how can we be happy? Happiness means being
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness and being convinced that “Kṛṣṇ a will give me
protection,” and being true to Kṛṣṇ a. It is not possible to be happy
otherwise.
Of course, Kṛṣṇ a is giving all living entities protection, even in their
rebellious condition (eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān). Without
Kṛṣṇ a’s protection, we cannot live for a second. When we admit and
recognize Kṛṣṇ a’s kindness, we become happy. Kṛṣṇ a is protecting us at
every moment, but we do not realize this, because we have taken life at
our own risk. Kṛṣṇ a gives us a certain amount of freedom, saying, “All
right, do whatever you like. As far as possible, I will give you protection.”
However, when the living entity is fully surrendered
to Kṛṣṇ a, Kṛṣṇ a takes total charge and gives special protection. If a child
grows up and doesn’t care for his father and acts freely, what can his
father do? He can only say, “Do whatever you like.” But when a son puts
himself fully under his father’s protection, he receives more care.
As Kṛṣṇ a states in the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (9.29),
samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever
renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a
friend to him.”
How can Kṛṣṇ a be envious of anyone? Everyone is Kṛṣṇ a’s son.
Similarly, how can Kṛṣṇ a be an enemy toward anyone? Since all living
entities are Kṛṣṇ a’s sons, He is everyone’s friend. Unfortunately, we are
not taking advantage of His friendship, and that is our disease. Once we
recognize Kṛṣṇ a as our eternal father and friend, we can understand that
He is always protecting us, and in this way we can be happy.
sa niścayena yoktavyo
yogo ’nirviṇṇa-cetasā
saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāṁs
tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ
manasaivendriya-grāmaṁ
viniyamya samantataḥ
“One should engage oneself in the practice of yoga with undeviating
determination and faith. One should abandon, without exception, all
material desires born of false ego and thus control all the senses on all
sides by the mind.” (Bg. 6.24)
As stated before, this determination can be attained only by one who
does not indulge in sex. Celibacy makes one’s determination strong;
therefore, from the very beginning Kṛṣṇ a states that the yogī does not
engage in sex. If one indulges in sex, one’s determination will be
flickering. Therefore sex life should be controlled according to the rules
and regulations governing the gṛhastha-āśrama, or sex should be given
up altogether. Actually, it should be given up altogether, but if this is not
possible, it should be controlled. Then determination will come because,
after all, determination is a bodily affair. Determination means
continuing to practice Kṛṣṇ a consciousness with patience and
perseverance. If one does not immediately attain the desired results, one
should not think, “Oh, what is this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness? I will give it
up.” No, we must have determination and faith in Kṛṣṇ a’s words.
In this regard, there is a mundane example. When a young girl gets
married, she immediately hankers for a child. She thinks, “Now I am
married. I must have a child immediately.” But how is this possible? The
girl must have patience, become a faithful wife, serve her husband, and
let her love grow. Eventually, because she is married, it is certain that she
will have a child. Similarly, when we are in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, our
perfection is guaranteed, but we must have patience and determination.
We should think, “I must execute my duties and should not be
impatient.” Impatience is due to loss of determination, and loss of
determination is due to excessive sex.
The yogī should be determined and should patiently
prosecute Kṛṣṇ a consciousness without deviation. One should be sure of
success at the end and pursue this course with great perseverance, not
becoming discouraged if there is any delay in the attainment of success.
Success is sure for the rigid practitioner. Regarding bhakti-
yoga, Rūpa Gosvāmī says,
utsāhān niścayād dhairyāt
tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt
saṅga-tyāgāt sato vṛtteḥ
ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati
“The process of bhakti-yoga can be executed successfully with full-
hearted enthusiasm, perseverance, and determination by following the
prescribed duties in the association of devotees and by engaging
completely in activities of goodness.” (Upadeśāmṛta 3)
As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow
who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on
the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its
waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her
eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow
decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small
beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The
news of her activity spread, and when at last Garuḍ a, the gigantic bird
carrier of Lord Viṣṇ u, heard it, he became compassionate toward his
small sister bird, and so he came to see her. Garuḍ a was very pleased by
the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help.
Thus Garuḍ a at once asked the ocean to return her eggs lest he himself
take up the work of the sparrow. The ocean was frightened by this, and
returned the eggs. Thus the sparrow became happy by the grace
of Garuḍ a.
Similarly, the practice of yoga, especially bhakti-
yoga in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, may appear to be a very difficult job. But if
anyone follows the principles with great determination, the Lord will
surely help, for God helps those who help themselves,
śanaiḥ śanair uparamed
buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā
ātma-saṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛtvā
na kiñcid api cintayet
“Gradually, step by step, with full conviction, one should become
situated in trance by means of intelligence, and thus the mind should be
fixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing else.” (Bg. 6.25)
We are the self, and Kṛṣṇ a is also the Self. When there is sunlight, we
can see the sun and ourselves also. However, when there is dense
darkness, we sometimes cannot even see our own body. Although the
body is there, the darkness is so dense that I cannot see myself. But when
the sunshine is present, I can see myself as well as the sun. Similarly,
seeing the self means first of all seeing the Supreme Self, Kṛṣṇ a. In
the Kaṭha Upaniṣad it is stated, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś
cetanānām: “The Supreme Self is the chief eternal of all eternals, and He
is the chief living being of all living beings.” Kṛṣṇ a consciousness means
fixing the mind on Kṛṣṇ a, and when the mind is thus fixed, it is fixed on
the complete whole. If the stomach is cared for and supplied nutritious
food, all the bodily limbs are nourished, and we are in good health.
Similarly, if we water the root of a tree, all the branches, leaves, flowers,
and twigs are automatically taken care of. By rendering service to Kṛṣṇ a,
we automatically render the best service to all others.
As stated before, a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person does not sit down idly. He
knows that Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is such an important philosophy that it
should be distributed. Therefore the members of
this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness society are not just sitting in the temple but are
going out on saṅkīrtana parties, preaching and distributing this supreme
philosophy. That is the mission of Śrī Kṛṣṇ a Caitanya Mahāprabhu and
His disciples. Other yogīs may be satisfied with their own elevation and
sit in secluded places, practicing yoga. For them, yoga is nothing more
than their personal concern. A devotee, however, is not satisfied just in
elevating his personal self.
vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇ ava devotees of the
Lord, who can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and
who are full of compassion for the fallen souls.” A devotee displays great
compassion toward conditioned souls. The word kṛpā means “mercy,”
and sindhu means “ocean.” A devotee is an ocean of mercy, and he
naturally wants to distribute this mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance,
was God conscious, Kṛṣṇ a conscious, but he was not satisfied in keeping
this knowledge within himself. Had he continued to live alone in God
consciousness, he would not have met crucifixion. But no. Being a
devotee and naturally compassionate, he also wanted to take care of
others by making them God conscious. Although he was forbidden to
preach God consciousness, he continued to do so at the risk of his own
life. This is the nature of a devotee.
It is therefore stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.68–69) that the devotee
who preaches is most dear to the Lord.
ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ
“For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional
service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.”
na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi
“There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there
ever be one more dear.” Therefore the devotees go out to preach, and
going forth, they sometimes meet opposing elements. Sometimes they
are defeated, sometimes disappointed, sometimes able to convince,
sometimes unable. It is not that every devotee is well equipped to preach.
Just as there are different types of people, there are three classes of
devotees. In the third class are those who have no faith. If they are
engaged in devotional service officially, for some ulterior purpose, they
cannot achieve the highest perfectional stage. Most probably they will
slip, after some time. They may become engaged, but because they
haven’t complete conviction and faith, it is very difficult for them to
continue in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. We have practical experience in
discharging our missionary activity that some people come and apply
themselves to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness with some hidden motive, and as
soon as they are economically a little well situated, they give up this
process and take to their old ways again. It is only by faith that one can
advance in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. As far as the development of faith is
concerned, one who is well versed in the literatures of devotional service
and has attained the stage of firm faith is called a first-class person
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. And in the second class are those who are not
very advanced in understanding the devotional scriptures but who
automatically have firm faith that kṛṣṇa-bhakti, or service to Kṛṣṇ a, is
the best course and so in good faith have taken it up. Thus they are
superior to the third class, who have neither perfect knowledge of the
scriptures nor good faith but by association and simplicity are trying to
follow. The third-class person in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness may fall down, but
when one is in the second class or first class, he does not fall down. One
in the first class will surely make progress and achieve the result at the
end. As far as the third-class person in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is
concerned, although he has faith in the conviction that devotional service
to Kṛṣṇ a is very good, he has no knowledge of Kṛṣṇ a through the
scriptures like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Sometimes
these third-class persons in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness have some tendency
toward karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, and sometimes they are disturbed,
but as soon as the infection of karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga is vanquished,
they become second-class or first-class persons in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
Faith in Kṛṣṇ a is also divided into three stages and described in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. First-class attachment, second-class attachment, and
third-class attachment are also explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the
Eleventh Canto.
However one is situated, one should have the determination to go out
and preach Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. That endeavor should at least be there,
and one who so attempts to preach renders the best service to the Lord.
Despite opposition, one should attempt to elevate people to the highest
standard of self-realization. One who has actually seen the truth, who is
in the trance of self-realization, cannot just sit idly. He must come out.
Rāmānujācārya, for instance, declared the Hare Kṛṣṇ a mantra publicly.
He did not distribute it secretly for some fee. Recently, an
Indian yogī came to America to give some “private mantra.” But if
a mantra has any power, why should it be private? If a mantra is
powerful, why should it not be publicly declared so that everyone can
take advantage of it? We are saying that this Hare Kṛṣṇ a mahā-
mantra can save everyone, and we are therefore distributing it publicly,
free of charge. But in this age, people are so foolish that they are not
prepared to accept it. Rather, they hanker after some secret mantra and
therefore pay some “yogī” thirty-five dollars or whatever for some
“private mantra.” This is because people want to be cheated. But the
devotees are preaching without charge, declaring in the streets, parks,
and everywhere, “Here! Here is the Hare Kṛṣṇ a mahā-mantra. Come on,
take it!” But under the spell of māyā, illusion, people are thinking, “Oh,
this is not good.” But if you charge something and bluff and cheat people,
they will follow you.
In this regard, there is a Hindi verse stating that Kali-yuga is such an
abominable age that if one speaks the truth, people will come and beat
him. But if one cheats, bluffs, and lies, people will be bewildered, will like
it, and will accept it. If I say, “I am God,” people will say, “Oh, here is
Swāmījī. Here is God.” In this age, people don’t have sufficient brain
power to inquire, “How have you become God? What are the symptoms
of God? Do you have all these symptoms?” Because people do not make
such inquiries, they are cheated. Therefore it is necessary to be fixed in
consciousness of the Self. Unless one knows and understands the real
self and the Superself, one will be cheated. Real yoga means
understanding this process of self-realization.
yato yato niścalati
manaś cañcalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet
“From whatever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and
unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under
the control of the Self.” (Bg. 6.26) This is the real yogic process. If you
are trying to concentrate your mind on Kṛṣṇ a, and the mind is diverted—
wandering to some cinema or wherever—you should withdraw the mind,
thinking, “Not there, please. Here.” This is yoga: not allowing the mind
to wander from Kṛṣṇ a.
Very intense training is required to keep the mind fixed
on Kṛṣṇ a while sitting in one place. That is very hard work indeed. If one
is not so practiced and tries to imitate this process, he will surely be
confused. Instead, we always have to engage ourselves
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, dovetailing everything we do to Kṛṣṇ a. Our usual
activities should be so molded that they are rendered for Kṛṣṇ a’s sake. In
this way the mind will remain fixed on Kṛṣṇ a. As stated before, we
should not try to sit down and stare at the tip of our nose. At the present
moment, attempts to engage in that type of yoga are artificial. Rather,
the recommended method is chanting loudly and hearing Hare Kṛṣṇ a.
Then, even if the mind is diverted, it will be forced to concentrate on the
sound vibration “Kṛṣṇ a.” It isn’t necessary to withdraw the mind from
everything; it will automatically be withdrawn, because it will be
concentrated on the sound vibration. If we hear an automobile pass, our
attention is automatically diverted. Similarly, if we constantly
chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a, our mind will automatically be fixed on Kṛṣṇ a,
although we are accustomed to think of so many other things.
The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. But a self-
realized yogī has to control the mind; the mind should not control him.
At the present moment, the mind is controlling us (go-dāsa). The mind
is telling us, “Please, why not look at that beautiful girl?” and so we look.
It says, “Why not drink that nice liquor?” and we say, “Yes.” It says,
“Why not smoke this cigarette?” “Yes,” we say. “Why not go to this
restaurant for such palatable food? Why not do this? Why not do that?”
In this way, the mind is dictating, and we are following. Material life
means being controlled by the senses, or the mind, which is the center of
all the senses. Being controlled by the mind means being controlled by
the senses, because the senses are the mind’s assistants. The master
mind dictates, “Go see that,” and the eyes, following the directions of the
mind, look at the sense object. The mind tells us to go to a certain place,
and the legs, under the mind’s directions, carry us there. Thus, being
under the direction of the mind means coming under the control of the
senses. If we can control the mind, we will not be under the control of
the senses. One who is under the control of the senses is known as go-
dāsa. The word go means “senses,” and dāsa means “servant.” One who
is master of the senses is called gosvāmī, because svāmī means “master.”
Therefore, one who has the title gosvāmī is one who has mastered the
senses. As long as one is servant of the senses, he cannot be called
a gosvāmī or svāmī. Unless one masters the senses, his acceptance of the
title svāmī or gosvāmī is just a form of cheating. It was Rūpa Gosvāmī
who thus defined the meaning of the
word gosvāmī. Originally, Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī were
not gosvāmīs but were government ministers. It was only when they
became disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that they
became gosvāmīs. So gosvāmī is not a hereditary title but a
qualification. One becomes so qualified under the directions of a bona
fide spiritual master. Only when one has attained perfection in sense
control can he be called a gosvāmī and become a spiritual master in his
turn. Unless one can master the senses, he will simply be a bogus
spiritual master.
This is explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Upadeśāmṛta (1):
 vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands,
the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly, and genitals is
qualified to make disciples all over the world.” In this
verse Rūpa Gosvāmī mentions six “pushings” (vegam). This pushing is a
kind of impetus. For instance, when nature calls, we have to go to the
toilet, and we cannot check this urge. So this urge is called vegam, a kind
of pushing. According to Rūpa Gosvāmī, there are six vegams.
Vāco vegam is the urge to talk unnecessarily. That is a kind of pushing
of the tongue. Then there is krodha-vegam, the urge to become angry.
When we are pushed to anger, we cannot check ourselves, and
sometimes men become so angry that they commit murder. Similarly,
the mind is pushing, dictating, “You must go there at once,” and we
immediately go where we are told. The word jihvā-vegam refers to the
tongue’s being urged to taste palatable foods. Udara-vegam refers to the
urges of the belly. Although the belly is full, it still wants more food, and
that is a kind of pushing of the belly. And when we yield to the pushings
of the tongue and the belly, the urges of the genitals become very strong,
and sex is required. If one does not control his mind or his tongue, how
can he control his genitals? In this way, there are so many pushings, so
much so that the body is a kind of pushing machine. Rūpa Gosvāmī
therefore tells us that one can become a spiritual master only when he
can control all these urges.
Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt: 
“One who can control the pushings and remain steady can make
disciples all over the world.” The word dhīra means “steady, sober.” Only
one who is a dhīra is qualified to make disciples. This all depends on
one’s training. Indeed, yoga means training the mind and the senses to
be fixed on the Self. This is not possible by meditating only fifteen
minutes a day and then going out and doing whatever the senses dictate.
How can the problems of life be solved so cheaply? If we want something
precious, we have to pay for it. By the grace of Lord Caitanya, this
payment has been made very easy—just chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a. By our
chanting, this system of control, this yoga system, becomes
perfected. Ihā haite sarva siddhi haibe tomāra. Thus Lord Caitanya has
blessed us. Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a, we will achieve the
perfection of self-realization. In this age of Kali-yuga, when people are so
fallen, other processes will not be successful. This is the only process,
and it is easy, sublime, effective, and practical. By it, one can realize
oneself.
According to Kṛṣṇ a in the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (9.2), this
process is the most sublime.
rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam
“This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It
is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self
by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is
joyfully performed.”
After eating, a man can understand that his hunger has been satisfied;
similarly, by following the principles of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, one can
understand that he has advanced in self-realization.

Chapter Six
Perception of the Supersoul
praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ
yoginaṁ sukham uttamam
upaiti śānta-rajasaṁ
brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam
“The yogī whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest
happiness. By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated; his
mind is peaceful, his passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin.”
(Bg. 6.27)
yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ
yogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ
sukhena brahma-saṁsparśam
atyantaṁ sukham aśnute
“Steady in the Self, being freed from all material contamination,
the yogī achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch
with the Supreme Consciousness.” (Bg. 6.28)
So here is the perfection: “The yogī whose mind is fixed on Me.”
Since Kṛṣṇ a is speaking, the “Me” refers to Kṛṣṇ a. If I am speaking and
saying, “Give me a glass of water,” I do not intend that the water be
supplied to someone else. We must therefore clearly understand that,
since Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken by Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, when He says “unto
Me,” He means unto Kṛṣṇ a. Unfortunately, there are many
commentators who deviate from these clear instructions. I do not know
why; their motives are no doubt nefarious.
sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ
sarva-bhūtāni cātmani
īkṣate yoga-yuktātmā
sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ
“A true yogī observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me.
Indeed, the self-realized man sees Me everywhere.” (Bg. 6.29) Sarva-
bhūta-stham ātmānam: “A true yogī observes Me in all beings.” How is
this possible? Some people say that all beings are Kṛṣṇ a and that
therefore there is no point in worshiping Kṛṣṇ a separately.
Consequently, such people take to humanitarian activities, claiming that
such work is better. They say, “Why should Kṛṣṇ a be
worshiped? Kṛṣṇ a says that one should see Kṛṣṇ a in every being.
Therefore let us serve daridra-nārāyaṇa, the man in the street.” Such
misinterpreters do not know the proper techniques, which have to be
learned under a bona fide spiritual master.
A true yogī, as explained before, is the devotee of Kṛṣṇ a, and the most
advanced devotee goes forth to preach Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Why?
Because he sees Kṛṣṇ a in all beings. How is this? Because he sees that all
beings are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a. He also understands that since these
beings have forgotten Kṛṣṇ a, it is his duty to awaken them
to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Sometimes missionaries go forth to educate
primitive, uneducated people just because they see that they are human
beings and so deserve to be educated in order to understand the value of
life. This is due to the missionary’s sympathy. The devotee is similarly
motivated. He understands that everyone should know himself to be part
and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a. The devotee understands that people are suffering
due to their forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇ a.
Thus the devotee sees Kṛṣṇ a in everything. He is not under the
illusion that everything has become Kṛṣṇ a. Rather, he sees every living
being as the son of God. If I say that this boy is the son of Mr. Johnson,
do I mean that this boy is Mr. Johnson himself? I may see Mr. Johnson
in this boy because this boy is his son, but the distinction remains. If I
see every living being as the son of Kṛṣṇ a, I see Kṛṣṇ a in every being. This
should not be difficult to understand. It is neither an association nor a
vision but a fact.
When a devotee sees a cat or a dog, he sees Kṛṣṇ a in him. He knows
that a cat, for instance, is a living being, and that due to his past deeds he
has received the body of a cat. This is due to his forgetfulness. The
devotee helps the cat by giving it some kṛṣṇa-prasāda so that someday
the cat will come to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. This is seeing Kṛṣṇ a in the cat.
The devotee does not think, “Oh, here is Kṛṣṇ a. Let me embrace this cat
and serve this cat as God.” Such thinking is nonsensical. If one sees a
tiger, he does not say, “Oh, here is Kṛṣṇ a. Come one, please eat me.” The
devotee does not embrace all beings as Kṛṣṇ a but rather sympathizes
with every living being because he sees all beings as part and parcel
of Kṛṣṇ a. In this way, “the true yogī observes Me in all beings.” This is
real vision.
Whatever is done in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, knowingly or unknowingly,
will have its effect. Children who bow down or try to vibrate Kṛṣṇ a’s
names or clap during kīrtana are actually accumulating so much in their
bank account of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Fire will act, whether one is a child
or an adult. If a child touches fire, the fire will burn. The fire does not
say, “Oh, I will not burn him. He is a child and does not know.” No, the
fire will always act as fire. Similarly, Kṛṣṇ a is the supreme spirit, and if a
child partakes in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, he will be affected. Kṛṣṇ a will act,
whether the child knows or does not know. Every living being should be
given a chance to partake of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness because Kṛṣṇ a is there
and will act. Therefore everyone is being invited to come and
take prasāda, because this prasāda will someday take effect.
We should be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that
everyone is Kṛṣṇ a; rather, we should see Kṛṣṇ a in everyone. Kṛṣṇ a is all-
pervading. Why is He to be seen only in human beings? As stated
in Brahma-saṁhitā, He is also present within the atom: aṇḍāntara-
stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. [Bs 5.35] The
word paramāṇu means “atom,” and we should understand that Kṛṣṇ a is
present within every atom. “A true yogī observes Me in all beings and
also sees every being in Me.” How does the yogī see every being “in Me”?
This is possible because the true yogī knows that everything that we see
is Kṛṣṇ a. We are sitting on this floor or on this carpet, but in actuality we
are sitting on Kṛṣṇ a. We should know this to be a fact. How is this
carpet Kṛṣṇ a? It is Kṛṣṇ a because it is made of Kṛṣṇ a’s energy. The
Supreme Lord has various energies, of which there are three primary
divisions—material energy, spiritual energy, and marginal
energy. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. We living entities are
marginal energy, the material world is material energy, and the spiritual
world is spiritual energy. We are marginal energy in the sense that we
can be either spiritually or materially situated. There is no third
alternative; either we become materialistic or spiritualistic.
As long as we are in the material world, we are seated on the material
energy, and therefore we are situated in Kṛṣṇ a, because Kṛṣṇ a’s energy is
not separate from Kṛṣṇ a. A flame contains both heat and illumination,
two energies. Neither the heat nor the illumination are separate from the
flame; therefore in one sense heat is fire, and illumination is fire, but
they can be distinguished. Similarly, this material energy is also Kṛṣṇ a,
and although we are thinking that we are sitting on this floor, we are
actually sitting on Kṛṣṇ a. Therefore it is stated, “The self-realized man
sees Me everywhere.” Seeing Kṛṣṇ a everywhere means seeing every
living being as well as everything else in relationship to Kṛṣṇ a. In the
Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (7.8), Lord Kṛṣṇ a tells Arjuna how
He can be seen in various manifestations.
raso ’ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu
“O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and
the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether
and ability in man.”
Water is drunk by all living entities, and is needed by birds, beasts,
and man. It is not only used for drinking, but for washing and for
cultivating plants as well. A soldier on the battlefield can understand
how important water is. When fighting, soldiers become thirsty, and if
they have no water, they die. Once a person has learned the philosophy
of Bhagavad-gītā, whenever he drinks water, he sees Kṛṣṇ a. And when
does a day pass when we do not drink water? This is the way
of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. “I am the light of the sun and the moon.” So
whether in the day or the night, we see either sunshine or moonshine.
How, then, can we forget Kṛṣṇ a? This, then, is the way of
perfect yoga. We have to see Kṛṣṇ a everywhere and at all times.
yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra
sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi
sa ca me na praṇaśyati
“For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never
lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” (Bg. 6.30) This is sadā tad-bhāva-
bhāvitaḥ: [Bg. 8.6] always remembering Kṛṣṇ a. If we practice living in
this way, we never lose Kṛṣṇ a and are never lost to Kṛṣṇ a, and at the time
of death we are therefore sure to go to Kṛṣṇ a. If we are not lost to Kṛṣṇ a,
where can we go but to Kṛṣṇ a? In the Ninth
Chapter, Kṛṣṇ a tells Arjuna, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇa
śyati (Bg. 9.31): “O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never
perishes.”
 Simply don’t lose sight of Kṛṣṇ a. That is the perfection of life. We can
forget everything else, but we should never forget Kṛṣṇ a. If we can
remember Kṛṣṇ a, we are the richest of men, even though people may see
us as very poor. Although Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were
learned scholars and very opulent ministers, they adopted the poor life of
mendicants. In his Śrī Sad-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka (verse 4), Śrīnivāsa Ācārya
thus describes the six Gosvāmīs:
tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha vat
bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau
gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs—
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī,
Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī,
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī—who cast off all
aristocratic association as insignificant. To deliver poor, conditioned
souls, they accepted loincloths and became mendicants, but they were
always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇ a, and they
were always bathing repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.”
The words kaupīna-kanthāśritau indicate that the Gosvāmīs were
simply wearing underwear and a loincloth and nothing else. In other
words, they accepted the poorest way of life as mendicants. Generally, if
one is habituated to living according to a high standard, he cannot
immediately lower his standard. If a rich man accepts such a poor
condition, he cannot live, but the Gosvāmīs lived very happily. How was
this possible? Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau
muhur/ vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. They
were actually rich because they were constantly dipping themselves in
the ocean of the loving affairs of the gopīs. If one simply thinks of
the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇ a, one is not lost. There are many ways not to lose
sight of Kṛṣṇ a. If we do not lose sight of Kṛṣṇ a, then we will not be lost.
A person in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness certainly sees
Lord Kṛṣṇ a everywhere, and he sees everything in Kṛṣṇ a. Such a person
may appear to see all separate manifestations of the material nature, but
in each and every instance he is conscious of Kṛṣṇ a, knowing that
everything is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇ a’s energy. Nothing can exist
without Kṛṣṇ a, and Kṛṣṇ a is the Lord of everything—this is the basic
principle of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. How does the devotee know that
everything is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇ a’s energy? First of all,
a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person is a philosopher. If he sees a tree, he thinks,
“What is this tree?” He then sees that the tree has a material body—just
as he has a material body—and that the tree is also a living entity, but
due to the tree’s past misdeeds, he has obtained such an abominable
body that he cannot even move. The tree’s body is material, material
energy, and the devotee automatically questions, “Whose energy?
Kṛṣṇ a’s energy. Therefore the tree is connected to Kṛṣṇ a. Being a living
entity, the tree is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a.” In this way,
the Kṛṣṇ a conscious person does not see the tree, but sees Kṛṣṇ a present.
That is Kṛṣṇ a consciousness: you don’t see the tree. You see Kṛṣṇ a. That
is the perfection of yoga, and that is also samādhi.
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the development of love of Kṛṣṇ a—a position
transcendental even to material liberation. Why does
the Kṛṣṇ a conscious person take such an account of the tree? Because he
has love for Kṛṣṇ a. If you love your child and your child is away, you
think of him when you see his shoes. You think, “Oh, this is my dear
child’s shoe.” It is not that you love the shoe, but the child. The shoe,
however, evokes that love. Similarly, as soon as we see Kṛṣṇ a’s energy
manifested in a living entity, we love that entity because we love Kṛṣṇ a.
Therefore, if we love Kṛṣṇ a, universal love is accounted for. Otherwise
“universal love” is nonsensical, because it is not possible to love
everybody without loving Kṛṣṇ a. If we love Kṛṣṇ a, universal love is
automatically there. Without being Kṛṣṇ a conscious, a person may say,
“Here is my American brother, and here is my Indian brother. Now let us
eat this cow.” Such a person may look on other humans as brothers, but
he looks on the cow as food. Is this universal love? A Kṛṣṇ a conscious
person, however, thinks, “Oh, here is a cow. Here is a dog. They are part
and parcel of Kṛṣṇ a, but somehow or other they have acquired different
bodies. This does not mean that they are not my brothers. How can I kill
and eat my brothers?” That is true universal love—rooted in love
for Kṛṣṇ a. Without such Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, there is no question of
love at all.
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the stage beyond self-realization in which the
devotee becomes one with Kṛṣṇ a in the sense that Kṛṣṇ a becomes
everything for the devotee, and the devotee becomes full in loving Kṛṣṇ a.
An intimate relationship between the Lord and the devotee then exists.
In that stage, the living entity attains his immortality. Nor is the
Personality of Godhead ever out of sight of the devotee. To merge
in Kṛṣṇ a is spiritual annihilation. A devotee takes no such risk. It is
stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38),
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the
devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His
eternal form of Śyāmasundara, situated within the heart of the devotee.”
One who has developed such a love for Kṛṣṇ a sees Śyāmasundara,
Kartāmeśāna, always within his heart. At this stage, Lord Kṛṣṇ a never
disappears from the sight of the devotee, nor does the devotee ever lose
sight of the Lord. In the case of a yogī who sees the Lord
as Paramātmā within the heart, the same applies. Such a yogī turns into
a pure devotee and cannot bear to live for a moment without seeing the
Lord within himself.
This is the real process by which we can see God. God is not our order
supplier. We cannot demand, “Come and show Yourself.” No, we first
have to qualify ourselves. Then we can see God at every moment and
everywhere.
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ
bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi
sa yogī mayi vartate
“The yogī who knows that I and the Supersoul within all creatures are
one worships Me and remains always in Me in all circumstances.”
(Bg. 6.31)
A yogī who is practicing meditation on the Supersoul sees within
himself the plenary portion of Kṛṣṇ a as Viṣṇ u—with four hands, holding
conchshell, wheel, club, and lotus flower. This manifestation of Viṣṇ u,
which is the yogī’s object of concentration, is Kṛṣṇ a’s plenary portion. As
stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.48),
yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“The Brahmās and other lords of the mundane worlds appear from the
pores of Mahā-Viṣṇ u and remain alive for the duration of His one
exhalation. I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, for Mahā-Viṣṇ u is a
portion of His plenary portion.” The words govindam ādi-
puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ** (“I worship Govinda, the primeval
Lord”) are most important. The word ādi means “original,”
and puruṣam means “the Lord as the original male, the original enjoyer.”
And who is this Govinda whose plenary portion is the Mahā-Viṣṇ u? And
what is the function of the Mahā-Viṣṇ u?
 In every universe there is a primary, original living entity known
as Brahmā. The life of Brahmā is the life of the universe, and this life
exists during only one breathing period (exhalation and inhalation) of
the Mahā-Viṣṇ u. The Mahā-Viṣṇ u lies on the Causal Ocean, and when
He exhales, millions of universes issue from His body as bubbles and
then develop. When the Mahā-Viṣṇ u inhales, these millions of universes
return within Him, and this is called the process of annihilation. That, in
essence, is the position of these material universes: they come out from
the body of the Mahā-Viṣṇ u and then again return. In the Ninth Chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā (9.7) it is also indicated that these material universes
are manifest at a certain period and are then annihilated.
sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya
prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām
kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni
kalpādau visṛjāmy aham
“O son of Kuntī, at the end of the millennium, every material
manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another
millennium, by My potency I again create.” The creation, maintenance,
and annihilation of this material cosmic manifestation are completely
dependent on the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead. “At the
end of the millennium” means at the death of Brahmā. Brahmā lives for
one hundred years, and his one day is calculated at 4,300,000,000 of
our earthly years. His night is of the same duration. His month consists
of thirty such days and nights, and his year of twelve months. After one
hundred such years, when Brahmā dies, the devastation or annihilation
takes place; this means that the energy manifested by the Supreme Lord
is again wound up in Himself. That is, the Mahā-Viṣṇ u inhales. Then
again, when there is need to manifest the cosmic world, it is done by His
will: “Although I am one, I shall become many.” This is the Vedic
aphorism. He expands Himself in this material energy, and the whole
cosmic manifestation again takes place.
Since the entire creation and annihilation of the material universes
depend on the exhaling and inhaling of the Mahā-Viṣṇ u, we can hardly
imagine the magnitude of that Mahā-Viṣṇ u. And yet it is said here that
this Mahā-Viṣṇ u is but a plenary portion of the plenary portion of Kṛṣṇ a,
who is the original Govinda. The Mahā-Viṣṇ u enters into each universe
as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇ u, and Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇ u further expands as
Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇ u, and it is this Viṣṇ u form that enters into the heart
of every living entity. In this way, Viṣṇ u is manifest throughout the
creation. Thus the yogīs concentrate their minds on the
Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇ u form within the heart. As stated in the last chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā (18.61),
 īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a
machine, made of the material energy.”
Thus, according to the yogic process, the yogī finds out where the
Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇ u is seated within the heart, and when he finds this
form there, he concentrates on Him. The yogī should know that
this Viṣṇ u is not different from Kṛṣṇ a. Kṛṣṇ a in this form of Supersoul is
situated in everyone’s heart. Furthermore, there is no difference between
the innumerable Supersouls present in the innumerable hearts of living
entities. For example, there is only one sun in the sky, but this sun may
be reflected in millions of buckets of water. Or, one may ask millions and
trillions of people, “Where is the sun?” And each will say, “Over my
head.” The sun is one, but it is reflected countless times. According to
the Vedas, the living entities are innumerable; there is no possibility of
counting them. Just as the sun can be reflected in countless buckets of
water, Viṣṇ u, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can live in each and
everyone’s heart. It is this form that is Kṛṣṇ a’s plenary portion, and it is
this form on which the yogī concentrates.
One who is engaged in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is already a
perfect yogī. In fact, there is no difference between a Kṛṣṇ a conscious
devotee always engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇ a and
a perfect yogī engaged in meditation on the Supersoul. There is no
difference between a yogī in samādhi (in a trance meditating on
the Viṣṇ u form) and a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person engaged in different
activities. The devotee—even though engaged in various activities while
in material existence—remains always situated in Kṛṣṇ a. This is
confirmed in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu of
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu/ jīvan-
muktaḥ sa ucyate. A devotee of the Lord, always acting
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, is automatically liberated. This is also confirmed
in the Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in
any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and
thus comes to the level of Brahman.”
Thus the devotee engaged in unalloyed devotional service has already
transcended the material modes of nature. Being situated on
the Brahman platform means being liberated. There are three platforms:
the bodily, or sensual; the mental; and the spiritual. The spiritual
platform is called the Brahman platform, and liberation means being
situated on that platform. Being conditioned souls, we are presently
situated on the bodily, or sensual, platform. Those who are a little
advanced—speculators, philosophers—are situated on the mental
platform. Above this is the platform of liberation,
of Brahman realization.
That the devotee, always acting in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, is
automatically situated on the liberated platform of Brahman is also
confirmed in the Nārada-pañcarātra.:
dik-kālādy-anavacchinne
kṛṣṇe ceto vidhāya ca
tan-mayo bhavati kṣipraṁ
jīvo brahmaṇi yojayet
“By concentrating one’s attention on the transcendental form of Kṛṣṇ a,
who is all-pervading and beyond time and space, one becomes absorbed
in thinking of Kṛṣṇ a and then attains the happy state of transcendental
association with Him.”
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the highest stage of trance in yoga practice.
This very understanding that Kṛṣṇ a is present as Paramātmā in
everyone’s heart makes the yogī faultless. The Vedas confirm this
inconceivable potency of the Lord as follows:
eko ’pi san bahudhā yo ’vabhāti
aiśvaryād rūpaṁ ekaṁ ca sūrya vad bahudheyate
“Viṣṇ u is one, and yet He is certainly all-pervading. By His inconceivable
potency, in spite of His one form, He is present everywhere. As the sun,
He appears in many places at once.”
ātmaupamyena sarvatra
samaṁ paśyati yo ’rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ
sa yogī paramo mataḥ
“He is a perfect yogī who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true
equality of all beings, both in their happiness and distress, O Arjuna!”
(Bg. 6.32) This is true universal vision. It is not that God is sitting in my
heart and not in the heart of a dog, cat, or cow. Sarva-bhūtānām means
that He is sitting in the hearts of all living entities, in the human heart
and in the ant’s heart. The only difference is that cats and dogs cannot
realize this. A human being, if he tries to follow the sāṅkhya-
yoga or bhakti-yoga system, is able to understand, and this is the
prerogative of human life. If we miss this opportunity, we suffer a great
loss, for we have undergone the evolutionary process and have passed
through more than eight million species of life in order to get this human
form. We should therefore be conscious of this and careful not to miss
this opportunity. We have a good body, the human form, and intelligence
and civilization. We should not live like animals and struggle hard for
existence but should utilize our time thinking peacefully and
understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord. This is the
instruction of Bhagavad-gītā: Don’t lose this opportunity; utilize it
properly.

Chapter Seven
Yoga for the Modern Age
arjuna uvāca
yo ’yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ
sāmyena madhusūdana
etasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi
cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
“Arjuna said: O Madhusūdana, the system of yoga which You have
summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is
restless and unsteady.” (Bg. 6.33)
This is the crucial test of the eightfold aṣṭāṅga-yoga system
expounded herein by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a. It has already been explained that
one must sit in a certain way and concentrate the mind on the form
of Viṣṇ u seated within the heart. According to the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system,
first of all one has to control the senses, follow all the rules and
regulations, practice the sitting posture and the breathing process,
concentrate the mind on the form of Viṣṇ u within the heart, and then
become absorbed in that form. There are eight processes in this aṣṭāṅga-
yoga system, but herein Arjuna says quite frankly that this aṣṭāṅga-
yoga system is very difficult. Indeed, he says that it “appears impractical
and unendurable to me.”
Actually, the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system is not impractical, for were it
impractical, Lord Kṛṣṇ a would not have taken so much trouble to
describe it. It is not impractical, but it appears impractical. What may be
impractical for one man may be practical for another. Arjuna is
representative of the common man in the sense that he is not a
mendicant or a sannyāsī or a scholar. He is on the battlefield fighting for
his kingdom, and in this sense he is an ordinary man engaged in a
worldly activity. He is concerned with earning a livelihood, supporting
his family, and so on. Arjuna has many problems, just as the common
man, and generally this system of aṣṭāṅga-yoga is impractical for the
ordinary common man. That is the point being made. It is practical for
one who has already completely renounced everything and can sit in a
secluded, sacred place on the side of a hill or in a cave. But who can do
this in this age? Although Arjuna was a great warrior, a member of the
royal family, and a very advanced person, he proclaims this yoga system
impractical. And what are we in comparison to Arjuna? If we attempt
this system, failure is certain.
Therefore this system of mysticism described by
Lord Kṛṣṇ a to Arjuna beginning with the words śucau deśe and ending
with yogī paramaḥ is here rejected by Arjuna out of a feeling of inability.
As stated before, it is not possible for an ordinary man to leave home and
go to a secluded place in the mountains or jungles to practice yoga in
this age of Kali. The present age is characterized by a bitter struggle for a
life of short duration. As Kali-yuga progresses, our life span gets shorter
and shorter. Our forefathers lived for a hundred years or more, but now
people are dying at the age of sixty or seventy. Gradually the life span
will decrease even further. Memory, mercy, and other good qualities will
also decrease in this age.
In Kali-yuga, people are not serious about self-realization even by
simple, practical means, and what to speak of this difficult yoga system,
which regulates the mode of living, the manner of sitting, selection of
place, and detachment of the mind from material engagements. As a
practical man, Arjuna thought it was impossible to follow this system
of yoga, even though he was favorably endowed in many ways. He was
not prepared to become a pseudo yogī and practice some gymnastic
feats. He was not a pretender but a soldier and a family man. Therefore
he frankly admitted that for him this system of yoga would be a waste of
time. Arjuna belonged to the royal family and was highly elevated in
terms of numerous qualities; he was a great warrior, he had great
longevity, and, above all, he was the most intimate friend of Lord Kṛṣṇ a,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Five thousand years ago,
when Arjuna was living, the life span was very long. At that time, people
used to live up to one thousand years. In the present age of Kali-yuga,
the life span is limited to a hundred years; in Dvāpara-yuga, the life span
was a thousand years; in Tretā-yuga, the life span was ten thousand
years; and in Satya-yuga, the life span was one hundred thousand years.
Thus as the yugas degenerate, the life span decreases. Even
though Arjuna was living at a time when one would live and practice
meditation for a thousand years, he still considered this system
impossible.
Five thousand years ago, Arjuna had much better facilities than we do
now, yet he refused to accept this system of yoga. In fact, we do not find
any record in history of his practicing it at any time. Therefore, this
system must be considered generally impossible in this age of Kali. Of
course, it may be possible for some very few, rare men, but for the people
in general it is an impossible proposal. If this were so five thousand years
ago, what of the present day? Those who are imitating this yoga system
in different so-called schools and societies, although complacent, are
certainly wasting their time. They are completely ignorant of the desired
goal.
Since this aṣṭāṅga-yoga system is considered impossible, the bhakti-
yoga system is recommended for everyone. Without training or
education, one can automatically participate in bhakti-yoga. Even a
small child can clap at kīrtana. Therefore
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has proclaimed bhakti-yoga the only system
practical for this age.
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Adi 17.21]
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is
chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no
other way. There is no other way.” Chanting is very simple, and one will
feel the results immediately. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. If we
attempt to practice other yoga systems, we will remain in darkness; we
will not know whether or not we are making progress. In bhakti-
yoga, one can understand, “Yes, now I am making progress.” This is the
only yoga system by which one can quickly attain self-realization and
liberation in this life. One doesn’t have to wait for another lifetime.
cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa
pramāthi balavad dṛḍham
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye
vāyor iva suduṣkaram
“For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, and very strong, O Kṛṣṇ a,
and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the
wind.” (Bg. 6.34) By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a, one captures the mind
immediately. Just by saying the name Kṛṣṇa and hearing it, the mind is
automatically fixed on Kṛṣṇ a. This means that the yoga system is
immediately attained. The entire yoga system aims at concentration on
the form of Viṣṇ u, and Kṛṣṇ a is the original personality from whom all
these Viṣṇ u forms are expanded. Kṛṣṇ a is like the original candle from
which all other candles are lit. If one candle is lit, one can light any
number of candles, and there is no doubt that each candle is as powerful
as the original candle. Nonetheless, one has to recognize the original
candle as the original. Similarly, from Kṛṣṇ a millions of Viṣṇ u forms
expand, and each Viṣṇ u form is as good as Kṛṣṇ a, but Kṛṣṇ a remains the
original. Thus one who concentrates his mind on Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, the
original Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately attains the
perfection of yoga.
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho
mano durnigrahaṁ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
“The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly
very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant
practice and by detachment.” (Bg. 6.35) Kṛṣṇ a does not say that it is not
difficult. Rather, He admits that it is difficult, but possible by means of
constant practice. Constant practice means engaging ourselves in some
activities that remind us of Kṛṣṇ a. In this Society
for Kṛṣṇ a consciousness we therefore have many activities—
kīrtana, temple activities, prasāda, publications, and so on. Everyone is
engaged in some activity with Kṛṣṇ a at the center. Therefore whether one
is typing for Kṛṣṇ a, cooking for Kṛṣṇ a, chanting for Kṛṣṇ a, or distributing
literature for Kṛṣṇ a, he is in the yoga system, and he is also in Kṛṣṇ a. We
engage in activities just as in material life, but these activities are molded
in such a way that they are directly connected with Kṛṣṇ a. Thus through
every activity, Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is possible, and perfection
in yoga follows automatically.
asaṁyatātmanā yogo
duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ
vaśyātmanā tu yatatā
śakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ
“For one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But
he whose mind is controlled and who strives by right means is assured of
success. That is My opinion.” (Bg. 6.36) The Supreme Personality of
Godhead declares that one who does not accept the proper treatment to
detach the mind from material engagement can hardly achieve success in
self-realization. Trying to practice yoga while engaging the mind in
material enjoyment is like trying to ignite a fire while pouring water on
it. Similarly, yoga practice without mental control is a waste of time. I
may sit down to meditate and focus my mind on Kṛṣṇ a, and that is very
commendable, but there are many yoga societies that teach their
students to concentrate on the void or on some color. That is, they do not
recommend concentration on the form of Viṣṇ u. Trying to concentrate
the mind on the impersonal or the void is very difficult and troublesome.
It is stated by Śrī Kṛṣṇ a in the Twelfth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (12.5),
kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate
“For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal
feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make
progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are
embodied.”
In the temple, the devotee tries to concentrate on the form of Kṛṣṇ a.
Concentrating on nothingness, on void, is very difficult, and naturally the
mind is very flickering. Therefore instead of concentrating on the void,
the mind searches out something else. The mind must be engaged in
thinking of something, and if it is not thinking of Kṛṣṇ a, it must be
thinking of māyā. Therefore, pseudomeditation on the impersonal void
is simply a waste of time. Such a show of yoga practice may be materially
lucrative, but useless as far as spiritual realization is concerned. I may
open a class in yogic meditation and charge people money for sitting
down and pressing their nose this way and that, but if my students do
not attain the real goal of yoga practice, they have wasted their time and
money, and I have cheated them.
Therefore one has to concentrate his mind steadily and constantly on
the form of Viṣṇ u, and that is called samādhi. In Kṛṣṇ a consciousness,
the mind is controlled by engaging it constantly in the transcendental
loving service of the Lord. Unless one is engaged in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness,
he cannot steadily control the mind. A Kṛṣṇ a conscious person easily
achieves the result of yoga practice without separate endeavor, but
a yoga practitioner cannot achieve success without
becoming Kṛṣṇ a conscious.

Chapter Eight
 Failure and Success in Yoga
Suppose I give up my business, my ordinary occupation, and begin to
practice yoga, real yoga, as explained herein by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a. Suppose
I practice, and somehow or other I fail; I cannot properly complete the
process. What, then, is the result? This is Arjuna’s very next question.
arjuna uvāca
ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto
yogāc calita-mānasaḥ
aprāpya yoga-saṁsiddhiṁ
kāṁ gatiṁ kṛṣṇa gacchati
“Arjuna said: What is the destination of the man of faith who does not
persevere, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization
but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not
attain perfection in mysticism?” (Bg. 6.37)
The path of self-realization, of mysticism, is described in
the Bhagavad-gītā. The basic principle of self-realization is knowing
that “I am not this material body but am different from it, and my
happiness is in eternal life, bliss, and knowledge.” Before arriving at the
point of self-realization, one must take it for granted that he is not this
body. That lesson is taught in the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā: the
living entity is not this material body but something different, and his
happiness is in eternal life.
Clearly, this life is not eternal. The perfection of yoga means attaining
a blissful, eternal life full of knowledge. All yoga systems should be
executed with that goal in mind. It is not that one attends yoga classes to
reduce fat or to keep the body fit for sense gratification. This is not the
goal of yoga, but people are taught this way because they want to be
cheated. Actually, if you undergo any exercise program, your body will be
kept fit. There are many systems of bodily exercise—weight lifting and
other sports—and they help keep the body fit, reduce fat, and help the
digestive system. Therefore there is no need to practice yoga for these
purposes. The real purpose for practicing yoga is to realize that I am not
this body. I want eternal happiness, complete knowledge, and eternal life
—that is the ultimate end of the true yoga system.
The goal of yoga is transcendental, beyond both body and mind. Self-
realization is sought by three methods: (1) the path of knowledge
(jñāna); (2) the path of the eightfold system; or (3) the path of bhakti-
yoga. In each of these processes, one has to realize the constitutional
position of the living entity, his relationship with God, and the activities
whereby he can reestablish the lost link and achieve the highest
perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Following any of the above-
mentioned three methods, one is sure to reach the supreme goal sooner
or later. This was asserted by the Lord in the Second Chapter: even a
little endeavor on the transcendental path offers a great hope for
deliverance.
Of these three methods, the path of bhakti-yoga is especially suitable
for this age, because it is the most direct method of God realization. To
be doubly assured, Arjuna is asking Lord Kṛṣṇ a to confirm His former
statement. One may sincerely accept the path of self-realization, but the
process of cultivation of knowledge (jñāna) and the practice of the
eightfold yoga system are generally very difficult for this age. Therefore,
despite constant endeavor, one may fail for many reasons. First of all,
one may not be actually following the process, the rules and regulations.
To pursue the transcendental path is more or less to declare war on the
illusory energy. When we accept any process of self-realization, we are
actually declaring war against māyā, illusion, and māyā is certain to
place many difficulties before us. Therefore, there is a chance of failure,
but one has to become very steady. Whenever a person tries to escape
the clutches of the illusory energy, she tries to defeat the practitioner by
various allurements. A conditioned soul is already allured by the modes
of material energy, and there is every chance of being allured again, even
while performing transcendental disciplines. This is called yogāc calita-
mānasaḥ: deviation from the transcendental path. Arjuna is inquisitive
to know the results of deviation from the path of self-realization.
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (6.37), quoted above, yogāt means “from
the practice of yoga,” calita means “diversion,” and mānasaḥ means
“mind.” So there is every chance for the mind to be diverted
from yoga practice. We all have some experience of trying to concentrate
by reading a book, and our mind is so disturbed that it does not allow us
to concentrate on the book.
Actually, Arjuna is asking a very important question, for one is subject
to failure in all types of yoga—be it the eightfold yoga system,
the jñāna-yoga system of speculative philosophy, or the bhakti-
yoga system of devotional service. Failure is possible on any of these
paths, and the results of failure are clearly explained by
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a Himself in the following dialogue with Arjuna (Bg. 6.38–
44). Arjuna, continuing his inquiry, asks,
kaccin nobhaya-vibhraṣṭaś
chinnābhram iva naśyati
apratiṣṭho mahā-bāho
vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
“O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇ a, does not such a man, being deviated from the
path of Transcendence, perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any
sphere?”
etan me saṁśayaṁ kṛṣṇa
chettum arhasy aśeṣataḥ
tvad-anyaḥ saṁśayasyāsya
chettā na hy upapadyate
“This is my doubt, O Kṛṣṇ a, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for
Yourself, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.”
śrī-bhaga vān uvāca
pārtha naiveha nāmutra
vināśas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid
durgatiṁ tāta gacchati
“The Blessed Lord said: Son of Pṛthā, a transcendentalist engaged in
auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world
or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never
overcome by evil.”
prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān
uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe
yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate
[Bg. 6.41]
“The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the
planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous
people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.”
atha vā yoginām eva
kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ
loke janma yad īdṛśam
[Bg. 6.42]
“Or he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely
great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.”
tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ
labhate paurva-dehikam
yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ
saṁsiddhau kuru-nandana
[Bg. 6.43]
“On taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness of his
previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order to achieve
complete success, O son of Kuru.”
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva
hriyate hy avaśo ’pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya
śabda-brahmātivartate
“By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he
automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles—even without
seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist, striving
for yoga, stands always above the ritualistic principles of the scriptures.”
Purification of consciousness is the purpose of
this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness movement. Presently we are preparing this
divine consciousness, for our consciousness goes with us at the time of
death. Consciousness is carried from the body just as the aroma of a
flower is carried by the air. When we die, this material body composed of
five elements—earth, water, air, fire, and ether—decomposes, and the
gross materials return to the elements. Or, as the Christian Bible says,
“Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” In some societies the
body is burned, in others it is buried, and in others it is thrown to
animals. In India, the Hindus burn the body, and thus the body is
transformed into ashes. Ash is simply another form of earth. Christians
bury the body, and after some time in the grave, the body eventually
turns to dust, which again, like ash, is another form of earth. There are
other societies—like the Parsee community in India—that neither burn
nor bury the body but throw it to the vultures, and the vultures
immediately come to eat the body, and then the body is eventually
transformed into stool. So in any case, this beautiful body, which we are
soaping and caring for so nicely, will eventually turn into either stool,
ashes, or dust.
At death, the finer elements (mind, intelligence, and ego), which,
combined, are called consciousness, carry the small particle of spirit soul
to another body to suffer or enjoy, according to one’s work. Our
consciousness is molded by our work. If we associate with stool, our
consciousness, which is like the air, will carry the aroma of stool, and
thus at the time of death will transport us to an undesirable body. Or, if
the consciousness passes over roses, it carries the aroma of roses, and
thus we are transported to a body wherein we can enjoy the results of our
previous work. If we train ourselves to work in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, our
consciousness will carry us to Kṛṣṇ a. Different types of body are
developed according to consciousness; therefore, if we train our
consciousness according to the yogic principles, we will attain a body
wherein we can practice yoga. We will get good parents and a chance to
practice the yoga system, and automatically we will be able to revive
the Kṛṣṇ a consciousness practiced in our previous body. Therefore it is
stated in this last verse, “By virtue of the divine consciousness of his
previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles
—even without seeking them.” Therefore, our present duty is to cultivate
divine consciousness. If we want divine life, spiritual elevation, and
eternal, blissful life, full of knowledge—in other words, if we want to go
back home, back to Godhead—we have to train ourselves in divine
consciousness, or Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
This can be easily done through association
(saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ). Through divine association, our
consciousness is made divine, and through demoniac association, our
consciousness is made demoniac. Therefore, our consciousness must be
trained to be divine through the proper association of those
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. That is the duty of one in this human form, a
form that gives us a chance to make our next life completely divine. To
attain this end, we should try to contact those who are developing divine
consciousness.
prayatnād yatamānas tu
yogī saṁśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ
aneka-janma-saṁsiddhas
tato yāti parāṁ gatim
“But when the yogī engages himself with sincere endeavor in making
further progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately,
after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.”
(Bg. 6.45) As indicated in this verse, making progress is a question of
practice. When a child is born, he neither knows how to smoke nor how
to drink, but through association he becomes a drunkard or a smoker.
Association is the most important factor. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. For
instance, there are many business associations, and by becoming a
member of certain associations, one’s business flourishes. In any
endeavor, association is very important. For the development of divine
consciousness, we have established the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness, in which the methods of attaining divine consciousness
are taught. In this society we invite everyone to come and
chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a. This process is not difficult, and even children can
participate. No previous qualifications are necessary; one doesn’t need a
master’s degree or doctorate. Our invitation to everyone is to join this
association and become Kṛṣṇ a conscious.
The Supreme Lord, God, is pure, and His kingdom is also pure. If one
wants to enter His kingdom, he must also be pure. This is very natural; if
we want to enter a particular society, we must meet certain
qualifications. If we want to return home, back to Godhead, there is a
qualification we must meet—we must not be materially contaminated.
And what is this contamination? Unrestricted sense gratification. If we
can free ourselves from the material contamination of sense
gratification, we can become eligible to enter the kingdom of God. That
process of freeing ourselves, of washing ourselves of this contamination,
is called the yoga system. As stated before, yoga does not mean sitting
down for fifteen minutes, meditating, and then continuing with sense
gratification. To be cured of a certain disease, we must follow the
prescriptions of a physician. In this Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, the
process of yoga is recommended, and we have to follow the prescribed
methods in order to be freed from material contamination. If we succeed
in doing so, we can link up, or connect, with the Supreme.
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is a method for connecting directly with the
Supreme. This is the special gift of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not only
is this method direct and immediate, but it is also practical. Although
many people entering this Society have no qualifications, they have
become highly advanced in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness simply by coming in
contact with the Society. In this age, life is very short, and a yoga process
that takes a long time will not help the general populace. In Kali-yuga,
people are all so unfortunate, and association is very bad. Therefore, this
process of directly contacting the Supreme is recommended—hari-
nāma. Kṛṣṇ a is present in the form of His transcendental name, and we
can contact Him immediately by hearing His name. Simply by hearing
the name Kṛṣṇa we immediately become freed from material
contamination.
As stated in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (7.28),
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose
sinful actions are completely eradicated, and who are freed from the
duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with
determination.” It is herein stressed that one must be completely fixed
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, devoid of duality, and must execute only pious
activities. Because the mind is flickering, dualities will always come. One
is always wondering, “Shall I become Kṛṣṇ a conscious, or should I
engage in another consciousness?” These problems are always there, but
if one is advanced by virtue of pious activities executed in a previous life,
his consciousness will be steadily fixed, and he will resolve, “I will
be Kṛṣṇ a conscious.”
Whether we acted piously in this life or a previous life really doesn’t
matter. This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇ a is so potent that through it we will
immediately be purified. We should have the determination, however,
not to become implicated in further impious activities. Therefore, for
those who want to be initiated in this Society for Kṛṣṇ a consciousness,
there are four principles: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating,
and no gambling. We don’t say, “No sex.” But we do say, “No illicit sex.”
If you want sex, get married and have Kṛṣṇ a conscious children. “No
intoxication” means not even taking tea or coffee—to say nothing of
other intoxicants. And there is no gambling and no meat-eating
(including fish and eggs). Simply by following these four basic rules and
regulations, one becomes immediately uncontaminated. No further
endeavor is necessary. As soon as one joins this Kṛṣṇ a consciousness
movement and follows these rules and regulations, material
contamination is immediately removed, but one must be careful not to
be contaminated again. Therefore these rules and regulations should be
followed carefully.
Material contamination begins with these four bad habits, and if we
manage to check them, there is no question of contamination. Therefore,
as soon as we take to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we become free. However, we
should not think that because Kṛṣṇ a consciousness makes us free, we can
again indulge in these four bad habits and get free by chanting. That is
cheating, and that will not be allowed. Once we are freed, we should not
allow ourselves to become contaminated again. One should not think, “I
shall drink or have illicit sex and then chant and make myself free.”
According to some religious processes, it is said that one can commit all
kinds of sin and then go to church, confess to a priest, and be freed of all
sin. Therefore people are sinning and confessing and sinning and
confessing over and over again. But this is not the process
of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. If you are freed, that’s all right, but don’t do it
again. After all, what is the purpose of confession? If you confess, “I have
committed these sinful activities,” why should you commit them again?
If a thief confesses that he has been pickpocketing, he is freed of his sin
by virtue of his confession, but does this mean that he should go out
again and pick pockets? This requires a little intelligence. One should not
think that because by confessing one becomes freed, he should continue
to commit sinful activities, confess again, and again become freed. That
is not the purpose of confession.
We should therefore understand that if we indulge in unrestricted
sinful activities, we become contaminated. We should be careful to have
sex only according to the rules and regulations, to eat only food that has
been prescribed and properly offered, to defend as Kṛṣṇ a advised Arjuna
—for the right cause. In this way we can avoid contamination and purify
our life. If we can continue to live a pure life until the time of death, we
will surely be transferred to the kingdom of God. When one is fully
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, he does not return to this material world when
he gives up his body. This is stated in the Fourth Chapter (Bg. 4.9).
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and
activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this
material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
The unsuccessful yogī returns to a good family or to a righteous, rich,
or aristocratic family, but if one is situated in
perfect Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, he does not return again. He
attains Goloka Vṛndāvana in the eternal spiritual sky. We should be
determined not to come back to this material world again, because even
if we attain a good birth in a rich or aristocratic family, we can degrade
ourselves again by improperly utilizing our good chance. Why take this
risk? It is better to complete the process of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness in this
life. It is very simple and not at all difficult. We only have to keep
thinking of Kṛṣṇ a; then we will be assured that our next birth will be in
the spiritual sky, in Goloka Vṛndāvana, in the kingdom of God.
tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
“A yogī is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist, and
greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all
circumstances, be a yogī.” (Bg. 6.46) There are different gradations of
life within this material world, but if one lives according to the yogic
principle, especially the principles of bhakti-yoga, one is living the most
perfect life possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇ a is telling Arjuna, “My dear
friend Arjuna, in all circumstances be a yogī and remain a yogi.”
yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntarātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
“And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith,
worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately
united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.” (Bg. 6.47) Here it is
clearly stated that there are many types of yogīs—aṣṭāṅga-yogīs, haṭha-
yogīs, jñāna-yogīs, karma-yogīs, and bhakti-yogīs—and that of all
the yogīs, “he who always abides in Me” is said to be the greatest of all.
“In Me” means in Kṛṣṇ a; that is, the greatest yogī is always
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Such a yogī “abides in Me with great faith,
worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately
united with Me in yoga, and is the highest of all.” This is the prime
instruction of this Sixth Chapter on sāṅkhya-yoga: if one wants to attain
the highest platform of yoga, one must remain in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
In Sanskrit, the word bhajate, with its root bhaj (bhaj-dhātu) means
“to render service.” But who renders service to Kṛṣṇ a unless he is a
devotee of Kṛṣṇ a? In this Society of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, devotees are
rendering service without payment, out of love for Kṛṣṇ a. They can
render service elsewhere and get paid hundreds of dollars a month, but
this service rendered here is loving service (bhaj), based on love of
Godhead. Devotees render service in many ways—gardening, typing,
cooking, cleaning, etc. All activities are connected with Kṛṣṇ a, and
therefore Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is prevailing twenty-four hours a day.
That is the highest type of yoga. That is “worshiping Me in
transcendental loving service.” As stated before, the perfection of yoga is
keeping one’s consciousness in contact with Viṣṇ u, or Kṛṣṇ a, the
Supreme Lord. We are not simply boasting that even a child can be the
highest yogī simply by participating in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness; no, this is
the verdict of authorized scripture—Bhagavad-gītā. These words are not
our creation but are specifically stated by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself.
Actually, worship and service are somewhat different. Worship
implies some motive. I worship a friend or an important man because if I
can please that person, I may derive some profit. Those who worship the
demigods worship for some ulterior purpose, and that is condemned in
the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (7.20):
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ
prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ
taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
“Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto
demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship
according to their own natures.” Those who are bewildered by lust
worship the demigods with a motive; therefore, when we speak of
worship, some motive is implied. Service, however, is different, for in
service there is no motive. Service is rendered out of love, just as a
mother renders service to her child out of love only. Everyone can
neglect that child, but the mother cannot, because love is present. Bhaj-
dhātu is similar in that there is no question of motive, but service is
rendered out of pure love. That is the perfection of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
This is also the recommendation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which
men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord.
Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to
completely satisfy the self.” Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. The
word bhakti comes from the same root as bhaj. The test of a first-class
religion is whether or not we are developing our love for God. If we
practice religion with some ulterior motive, hoping to fulfill our material
necessities, our religion is not first class but third class. It must be
understood that first-class religion is that by which we can develop our
love of Godhead. Ahaituky apratihatā. This perfect religion should be
executed without ulterior motive or impediment. That is the yoga system
recommended in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in this Sixth Chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā. That is the system of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness.
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is not rendered with some motive in mind. The
devotees are not serving Kṛṣṇ a in order that He supply them this or that.
For a devotee there is no scarcity. One should not think that by
becoming Kṛṣṇ a conscious, one becomes poor. No. If Kṛṣṇ a is there,
everything is there, because Kṛṣṇ a is everything. But this does not mean
that we should try to conduct business with Kṛṣṇ a, demanding, “Kṛṣṇ a
give me this. Give me that.” Kṛṣṇ a knows better than we do, and He
knows our motives. A child does not make demands of his parents,
saying, “Dear father, give me this. Give me that.” Since the father knows
his child’s necessities, there is no need for the child to ask. Similarly, it is
not a very good idea to ask God to give us this or that. Why should we
ask? If God is all-knowing and all-powerful, He knows our wants, our
necessities, and can supply them. This is confirmed in
the Vedas. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: “The single one almighty
God is supplying all necessities to millions and trillions of living
entities.” Therefore, we should not demand anything of God, because our
demands are already met. The supplies are already there. We should
simply try to love God. Even cats and dogs are receiving their necessities
without going to church and petitioning God. If a cat or dog receives its
necessities without making demands, why should the devotee not receive
what he needs? Therefore we should not demand anything from God but
should simply try to love Him. Then everything will be fulfilled, and we
will have attained the highest platform of yoga.
We can actually see how the various parts of the body serve the body.
If I have an itch, the fingers immediately scratch. If I want to see
something, the eyes immediately look. If I want to go somewhere, the
legs immediately take me. As I receive service from the different parts of
my body, God receives service from all parts of His creation. God is not
meant to serve. If the limbs of the body serve the entire body, the parts of
the body automatically receive energy. Similarly, if we serve Kṛṣṇ a, we
automatically receive all necessities, all energy.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam confirms that we are all parts and parcels of the
Supreme. If a part of the body cannot regularly render service, it gives
pain to the body, and if a person does not render service to the Supreme
Lord, he is simply giving pain and trouble to the Supreme Lord.
Therefore such a person has to suffer, just as a criminal has to suffer
when he does not abide by the laws of the state. Such a criminal may
think, “I’m a very good man,” but because he is violating the laws of the
state, he is giving the government trouble, and consequently the
government puts him in prison. When living entities give the Supreme
Lord trouble, the Lord comes, collects them together, and puts them in
this material world. In essence, He says, “You live here. You are all
disturbing the creation; therefore you are criminals and have to live in
this material world.” Sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ: “One falls down
from his constitutional position.” If a finger is diseased, it has to be
amputated lest it pollute the entire body. Having rebelled against the
principles of God consciousness, we are cut off from our original
position. We have fallen. In order to regain our original position, we
must resume rendering service unto the Supreme Lord. That is the
perfect cure. Otherwise we will continue to suffer pain, and God will
suffer pain because of us. If I am a father, and my son is not good, I
suffer, and my son suffers also. Similarly, we are all sons of God, and
when we cause God pain, we are also pained. The best course is to revive
our original Kṛṣṇ a consciousness and engage in the Lord’s service. That
is our natural life, and that is possible in the spiritual
sky, Goloka Vṛndāvana.
The word avajānanti actually means “to neglect.” This means
thinking, “What is God? I am God. Why should I serve God?” This is just
like a criminal thinking, “What is this government? I can manage my
own affairs. I don’t care for the government.” This is
called avajānanti. We may speak in this way, but the police department
is there to punish us. Similarly, material nature is here to punish us with
the threefold miseries. These miseries are meant for those rascals
who avajānanti, who don’t care for God or who take the meaning
of God cheaply, saying, “I am God. You are God.”
Thus the general progress of yoga is gradual. First one
practices karma-yoga, which refers to ordinary, fruitive activity.
Ordinary activities include sinful activities, but karma-yoga excludes
such activities. Karma-yoga refers only to good, pious activities, or those
actions which are prescribed. After performing karma-yoga, one comes
to the platform of jñāna-yoga, knowledge. From the platform of
knowledge, one attains to this aṣṭāṅga-yoga, the eightfold yoga system
—dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, āsana, etc.—and from aṣṭāṅga-
yoga, as one concentrates on Viṣṇ u, one comes to the point of bhakti-
yoga. Bhakti-yoga is the perfectional stage, and if one
practices Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, one attains this stage from the very
beginning. That is the direct route.
If one practices jñāna-yoga and thinks that he has attained the
ultimate, he is mistaken. He has to make further progress. If we are on a
staircase and have to reach the top floor, which is the hundredth floor,
we are mistaken if we think we have arrived when we are on the thirtieth
floor. As stated before, the whole yoga system may be likened to a
staircase, connecting or linking us to God. In order to attain the ultimate,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we must go to the highest
platform, and that is bhakti-yoga.
But why walk up all these steps if we have a chance to take an
elevator? By means of an elevator, we can reach the top in a matter of
seconds. Bhakti-yoga is this elevator, the direct process by which we can
reach the top in a matter of seconds. We can go step by step, following all
the other yoga systems, or we can go directly. Since in this age of Kali-
yuga people have short life spans and are always disturbed and anxious,
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His causeless mercy, has given us the
elevator by which we can come immediately to the platform of bhakti-
yoga. That direct means is the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇ a, and that is the
special gift of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī
offers respects to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-
vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: [Madhya 19.53] “Oh, You are the
most munificent incarnation because You are directly giving love
of Kṛṣṇ a. To attain pure love of Kṛṣṇ a, one has to pass through so many
stages of yoga, but You are giving this love directly. Therefore You are
the most munificent.”
As stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (18.55),
 bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram
“one can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by
devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme
Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” In the
other yoga systems, there must be a mixture of bhakti, but bhakti-
yoga is unadulterated devotion. It is service without a motive. Generally
people pray with some motive in mind, but we should pray only for
further engagement in devotional service.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us that when we pray we should
not pray for anything material. In the beginning, we cited
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s perfect prayer.:
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
“O Almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor to enjoy
beautiful women. Nor do I want any number of followers. What I want
only is the causeless mercy of Your devotional service in my life, birth
after birth.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) In this
verse, Caitanya Mahāprabhu addresses the Supreme Lord
as Jagadīśa. Jagat means “universe,” and īśa means “controller.” The
Supreme Lord is the controller of the universe, and this can be
understood by anyone; therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu addresses the
Supreme Lord as Jagadīśa instead of Kṛṣṇ a or Rāma. In the material
world we find many controllers, so it is logical that there is a controller of
the entire universe. Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not pray for wealth,
followers, or beautiful women, because these are material requests.
Usually, people want to be very great leaders within this material world.
Someone tries to become a very rich man like Ford or Rockefeller, or
someone else tries to become president or some great leader that many
thousands of people will follow. These are all material demands: “Give
me money. Give me followers. Give me a nice wife.”
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu refuses to make such materialistic requests.
He frankly says, “I don’t want any of these things.” He even
says, mama janmani janmanīśvare. That is, He’s not even asking for
liberation. Just as the materialists have their demands,
the yogīs demand liberation. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not want
anything of this nature. Then why is He a devotee? Why is He
worshiping Kṛṣṇ a? “I simply want to engage in Your service birth after
birth.” He does not even pray for an end to birth, old age, disease, and
death. There are no demands whatsoever, for this is the highest
platform, the stage of bhakti-yoga.
Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a is also asking the Lord, “Please engage me in
Your service.” This is the mantra taught
by Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Hare refers to the energy of the Lord,
and Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are names for the Lord Himself. When we
chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a, we are asking Kṛṣṇ a to please engage us in His
service. This is because our entire material disease is due to our having
forgotten to serve God. In illusion, we are thinking, “I am God. What is
the other God that I have to serve? I myself am God.” Ultimately, that is
the only disease, the last snare of illusion. First of all, a person tries to be
prime minister, president, Rockefeller, Ford, this and that, and when one
fails or attains such a post and is still unhappy, he wants to become God.
That is like becoming an even higher president. When I understand that
the presidency does not afford me eternal bliss and knowledge, I demand
the highest presidency. I demand to become God. In any case, the
demand is there, and this demand is our disease. In illusion, we are
demanding to be the highest, but the process of bhakti-yoga is just the
opposite. We want to become servants, servants of the servants of the
Lord. There is no question of demanding to become the Lord; we just
want to serve. That’s all.
Our original nature is rooted in service, and wanting to serve is the
crucial test for the devotee. We may not realize it, but in this material
world we are also serving. If we want to become president, we have to
make so many promises to the voters. In other words, the president has
to say, “I’ll give the people my service.” Unless he promises to serve his
country, there is no question of his becoming president. So even if one is
the most exalted leader, his position is to render service. This is very
difficult for people to understand. Despite becoming the highest
executive in the land, one has to give service to the people. If that service
is not given, one is likely to be usurped, fired, or killed. In the material
world, service is very dangerous. If there is a little discrepancy in one’s
service, one is immediately fired. When the people did not like the
service that President Nixon was rendering, they forced him to resign.
Some people disagreed with President Kennedy, and he was killed.
Similarly, in India, Gandhi was also killed because some people did not
like the way he was rendering service. This is always the position in the
material world; therefore one should be intelligent enough to decide to
cease rendering service for material motives. We must render service to
the Supreme Lord, and that rendering of service is our perfection.
 We have formed this International Society for Krishna Consciousness
in order to teach people what they have forgotten. In this material world,
we have forgotten the service of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇ a; therefore we have become
servants of māyā, the senses. Therefore, in this Society we are saying,
“You are serving your senses. Now just turn your service
to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇ a, and you will be happy. You have to render service—
either to māyā [illusion], the senses, or to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇ a.”
In this world, everyone is serving the senses, but people are not
satisfied. No one can be satisfied, because the senses are always
demanding more gratification, and this means that we are constantly
having to serve the senses. In any case, our position as servant remains
the same. It is a question of whether we want to be happy in our service.
It is the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā and the other Vedic scriptures that we
will never be happy trying to serve our senses, for they are only sources
of misery. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu prays to be situated in
Kṛṣṇ a’s service. He also prays,
ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya
“O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Kṛṣṇ a], I am Your eternal servitor, yet
somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please
pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at
Your lotus feet.” (Śikṣāṣṭaka 5) This is another way of asking Kṛṣṇ a to
engage us in His service.
Loving devotional service can only be rendered to the personal form
of Kṛṣṇ a, Śyāmasundara. The impersonalists emphasize the virāṭ-
rūpa, the universal form exhibited in the Eleventh Chapter
of Bhagavad-gītā, but it is stated therein (11.21) that the demigods are
very much afraid of this form, and Arjuna says,
adṛṣṭa-pūrvaṁ hṛṣito ’smi dṛṣṭvā
bhayena ca pravyathitaṁ mano me
tad eva me darśaya deva rūpaṁ
prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa
“After seeing this universal form, which I have never seen before, I am
gladdened, but at the same time my mind is disturbed with fear.
Therefore please bestow Your grace upon me and reveal again Your form
as the Personality of Godhead [Kṛṣṇ a, or Śyāmasundara], O Lord of
lords, O abode of the universe.” (Bg. 11.45) There is no question of loving
the virāṭ-rūpa. If Kṛṣṇ a comes before you in the virāṭ-rūpa form, you
will be so filled with fear that you will forget your love. So don’t be eager
like the impersonalists to see the virāṭ-rūpa form; just render loving
service to Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇ a.
We have more or less seen Kṛṣṇ a as the viśva-rūpa during wartime in
Calcutta in 1942. There was a siren, and we ran into a shelter, and the
bombing began. In this way, we were seeing that viśva-rūpa, and I was
thinking, “Of course, this is also just another form of Kṛṣṇ a. But this is
not a very lovable form.” A devotee wants to love Kṛṣṇ a in His original
form, and this viśva-rūpa is not His original form. Being
omnipotent, Kṛṣṇ a can appear in any form, but His lovable form is that
of Kṛṣṇ a, Śyāmasundara. Although a man may be a police officer, when
he is at home he is a beloved father to his son. But if he comes home
firing his revolver, the son will be so frightened that he will forget that he
is his beloved father. Naturally, the child loves his father when he’s at
home like a father, and similarly we love Kṛṣṇ a as He is in His eternal
abode, in the form of Śyāmasundara.
The viśva-rūpa was shown to Arjuna to warn those rascals who claim,
“I am God.” Arjuna asked to see the viśva-rūpa so that in the future we
may have some criterion by which to test rascals who claim to be God. In
other words, if someone says, “I am God,” we can simply reply, “If you
are God, please show me your viśva-rūpa.” And we can rest assured that
such rascals cannot display this form.
Of course, Arjuna was offering all respects to the viśva-rūpa form.
That is a natural quality of a devotee. A devotee even
respects Durgā, Māyā, because Māyā is Kṛṣṇ a’s energy. If we
respect Kṛṣṇ a, we respect everyone, even an ant.
Therefore Brahmā prays,
sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā
chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā
icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“The external potency, Māyā, who is of the nature of the shadow of
the cit [spiritual] potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the
creating, preserving, and destroying agency of this mundane world. I
worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, in accordance with whose
will Durgā conducts herself.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.44) Thus when we
pray to Kṛṣṇ a, we pray to Durgā immediately, because Durgā is His
energy. And when we pray to Durgā, we are actually praying to Kṛṣṇ a,
because she is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇ a. When the devotee
sees the activities of Māyā, he sees Kṛṣṇ a immediately, thinking,
“Oh, Māyā is acting so nicely under the direction of Kṛṣṇ a.” When one
offers respect to a policeman, he is actually offering respect to the
government. Durgā, the material energy, is so powerful that she can
create, annihilate, and maintain, but in all cases she is acting under
Kṛṣṇ a’s directions.
Through bhakti, pure devotion to Kṛṣṇ a, we can leave the association
of Māyā and be promoted to the eternal association of Kṛṣṇ a. Some of
the gopas, Kṛṣṇ a’s friends, are eternal associates, and others are
promoted to that eternal position. If only the eternal associates
of Kṛṣṇ a can play with Him and others cannot, then what is the meaning
of becoming Kṛṣṇ a conscious? We can also become eternal associates
of Kṛṣṇ a through pious deeds executed in many, many lives. Actually, in
the Vṛndāvana manifest in this material world, the associates
of Kṛṣṇ a are mainly conditioned living entities who have been promoted
to the perfect stage of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Thus promoted, they are first
of all allowed to see Kṛṣṇ a on the planet where Kṛṣṇ a’s pastimes are
being enacted. After this, they are promoted to the
transcendental Goloka Vṛndāvana in the spiritual sky. Therefore it is
stated in the Bhāgavata (10.12.11), kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ.
Bhakti-yoga means connecting ourselves with Kṛṣṇ a, God, and
becoming His eternal associates. Bhakti-yoga cannot be applied to any
other objective; therefore in Buddhism, for instance, there is no bhakti-
yoga, because they do not recognize the Supreme Lord existing as the
supreme objective. Christians, however, practice bhakti-yoga when they
worship Jesus Christ, because they are accepting him as the son of God
and are therefore accepting God. Unless one accepts God, there is no
question of bhakti-yoga. Christianity, therefore, is also a form of
Vaiṣṇ avism, because God is recognized. Nonetheless, there are different
stages of God realization. Mainly, Christianity says, “God is great,” and
that is a very good assertion, but the actual greatness of God can be
understood from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Accepting
the greatness of God is the beginning of bhakti. Bhakti-yoga also exists
among the Muhammadans, because God is the target in the Muslim
religion. However, where there is no recognition of a personal God—in
other words, where there is only impersonalism—there is no question
of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga must include three items: the servitor, the
served, and service. One must be present to accept service, and one must
be present to render service. The via media is the process of service
itself, bhakti-yoga. Now, if there is no one to accept that service, how
is bhakti-yoga possible? Therefore, if a philosophy or religion does not
accept God as the Supreme Person, there is no possibility of bhakti-
yoga being applied.
In the bhakti-yoga process, the role of the spiritual master is most
important and essential. Although the spiritual master will always come
back until his devotees have achieved God realization, one should not try
to take advantage of this. We should not trouble our spiritual master but
should complete the bhakti-yoga process in this life. The disciple should
be serious in his service to the spiritual master, and if the devotee is
intelligent, he should think, “Why should I act in such a way that my
spiritual master has to take the trouble to reclaim me again? Let me
realize Kṛṣṇ a in this life.” That is the proper way of thinking. We should
not think, “Oh, I am sure that my spiritual master will come and save
me. Therefore I will do as I please.” If we have any affection for our
spiritual master, we should complete the process in this life, so that he
does not have to return to reclaim us.
In this regard, there is the example of Bilvamaṅ gala Ṭ hākura, who, in
his previous life, was elevated almost to prema-bhakti, the highest
platform of devotional service. However, since there is always a chance
for a falldown, somehow or other he fell down. In his next life, he was
born in a very rich brāhmaṇa family, in accordance with the principle
enunciated in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-
gītā (6.41): śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Unfortunately, as is often the case
with rich boys, he became a prostitute hunter. Yet it is said that his
spiritual master instructed him through his prostitute, saying, “Oh, you
are so attached to this mere flesh and bones. If you were this much
attached to Kṛṣṇ a, how much good you might achieve!”
Immediately Bilvamaṅ gala Ṭ hākura resumed his devotional service.
Although the spiritual master assumes responsibility for his disciple,
we should not take advantage of this. Rather, we should try to please the
spiritual master (yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **). We should
not put our spiritual master in such a position that he has to reclaim us
from a house of prostitution. But even if he has to do so, he will do it,
because he assumes this responsibility when he accepts his disciple.
The bhakti-yoga process should be completed in this life, because in
this life we have all the instruments necessary to become
fully Kṛṣṇ a conscious. We have mṛdaṅgas and cymbals and tongues with
which to chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a. Even if we don’t have mṛdaṅgas and
cymbals, we have a tongue. No one has to purchase a tongue. We also
have ears with which to hear the sound that the tongue vibrates.
Therefore we have all the instruments we need with us—a tongue and
ears. We have only to chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a and use our ears to hear this
vibration, and all perfection will be there. We don’t have to become
highly educated scientists or philosophers. We have only to chant and
hear.
Thus we have everything
complete. Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam [Īśopaniṣad, Invocation]: everyt
hing created by God is complete. This aggregate earth, for instance, is
complete. There is sufficient water in the oceans, and the sun acts to
evaporate this water, turn it into clouds, and drop rain on the land to
produce plants. And from the mountains, pure rivers are flowing to
supply water throughout the year. If we want to evaporate a few hundred
gallons of water, we have to make many arrangements, but the creation
is so complete that millions of tons of water are being drawn from the
ocean, turned into clouds, and then sprayed all over the land and
reserved on the peaks of mountains so that water will be present for the
production of grains and vegetables. Thus the creation is complete
because it comes from the complete, and similarly our bodies are also
complete for spiritual realization. The complete machine is already with
us. We have only to utilize it to vibrate the transcendental sound (śabda)
of Hare Kṛṣṇ a, and we will attain complete liberation from all material
pangs.

Chapter Nine
Destination After Death
sarva-dvārāṇi saṁyamya
mano hṛdi nirudhya ca
mūrdhny ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam
āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām
“The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements.
Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart and
the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in yoga.”
(Bg. 8.12)
One translation of the word yoga is “plus”—that is, just the opposite
of minus. At the present moment, due to our materially contaminated
consciousness, we are minus God. When we add God to our lives, when
we connect with Him, life is perfected. This process has to be finished at
the time of death; therefore as long as we are alive, we have to practice
approaching that point of perfection so that at the time of death, when
we give up this material body, we can realize the Supreme.
prayāṇa-kāle manasācalena
bhaktyā yukto yoga-balena caiva
bhruvor madhye prāṇam āveśya samyak
sa taṁ paraṁ puruṣam upaiti divyam
“One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the eyebrows
and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme Lord,
will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Bg. 8.10)
The words prayāṇa-kāle mean “at the time of death.” Life is kind of a
preparation for the final examination, which is death. If we pass that
examination, we are transferred to the spiritual world. According to a
very common Bengali proverb, “Whatever you do for perfection will be
tested at the time of your death.”
This process by which the yogī closes the doors of the senses is
technically called pratyāhāra, meaning “just the opposite.” Presently,
our senses are engaged in seeing worldly beauty. “Just the opposite”
means retracting the senses from that beauty and seeing the beauty
inside. Hearing is concentrated on the oṁkāra sound that is within.
Similarly, all the other senses are withdrawn from external activity. The
mind is then concentrated on the viṣṇu-mūrti within the heart
(manaḥ hṛdi nirudhya). The word nirudhya means “confining” the
mind within the heart. When the yogī has thus withdrawn his senses and
concentrated his mind, he transfers the life air to the top of the head and
decides where he should go. There are innumerable planets, and beyond
these planets is the spiritual world. The yogīs obtain information of
these planets from the Vedic literatures, just as, before coming to the
United States, I obtained information about this country from books.
Since all the higher planets in the spiritual world are described in the
Vedic literatures, the yogī knows everything and can transfer himself to
any planet he likes. He does not need a material spaceship.
Scientists have been trying for many years to reach other planets with
spaceships, but this is not the process. Maybe by this means one or two
men can reach a planet, but that is not the general process. It is not
possible for everyone. Generally, if one wants to transfer himself to a
higher planet, he practices this jñāna-yoga system. Not the bhakti-
yoga system. The system of bhakti-yoga is not used for attaining any
material planet.
The devotees of Kṛṣṇ a are not interested in any planet within this
material universe, because they know that on all planets the four basic
miseries exist—birth, old age, disease, and death. In the higher planets,
one’s life span may be much greater than on this earth, but death is
ultimately there. Therefore those who are in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness are not
interested in material life but spiritual life, which means relief from these
fourfold miseries. Those who are intelligent do not try to elevate
themselves to any planet within this material world. To attain a higher
planet, one has to prepare a particular type of body to enable one to live
on that planet. We cannot attain these planets by artificial, materialistic
means, because a suitable body is necessary to live there. We can stay
within water only a short while, but fish are living there their entire lives.
But the fish does not have a body suitable for living on the land.
Similarly, to enter a higher planet, one has to prepare a suitable body.
In the higher planets, six of our months are equal to one of their days,
and the inhabitants of these planets live ten thousand years. This is all
described in the Vedic literatures. Although the life span on these planets
is very long, there is ultimately death. After ten thousand years, twenty
thousand years, or millions of years—it doesn’t matter—death is
ultimately there.
In the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, however, we learn that we
are not subject to death.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does
he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and
primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Bg. 2.20) Kṛṣṇ a thus
instructs us that we are spirit soul and eternal; therefore why should we
subject ourselves to birth and death? One who utilizes his intelligence
can understand this. One who is situated in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is not
interested in promotion to any planet where death exists; rather, being
promoted to the spiritual sky, he receives a body just like
God’s. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. God
’s body is sac-cid-ānanda—eternal, full of knowledge, and full of
pleasure. Therefore Kṛṣṇ a is called the reservoir of all pleasure. If, upon
leaving this body, we transfer ourselves to the spiritual world—to Kṛṣṇ a’s
planet or any other spiritual planet—we attain a similar body full of sac-
cid-ānanda.
The spirit soul is a very minute particle within the body. It cannot be
seen like the external body, but it is sustaining the external body. The
object of the ṣaṭ-cakra system is to locate the soul at the topmost part of
the head. From there, one who is perfect in dhyāna-yoga can transfer
himself to a higher planet at will. That is the perfection of this type
of yoga. The dhyāna-yogī is somewhat like a traveler who thinks, “Oh,
let me see what the moon is like, then I will transfer myself to higher
planets.” He goes from here to there in the universe, just as on earth
travelers go from New York to California or Canada. But
a Kṛṣṇ a conscious person is not interested in such interplanetary travel
within the material universe. His goal is service to Kṛṣṇ a and transferral
to the spiritual sky.
 oṁ ity ekākṣaraṁ brahma
vyāharan mām anusmaran
yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ
sa yāti paramāṁ gatim
“After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred
syllable oṁ, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly
reach the spiritual planets.” (Bg. 8.13) Oṁ, or oṁkāra, is the concise
form, or impersonal form, of the transcendental vibration. The dhyāna-
yogī should vibrate oṁ while remembering Kṛṣṇ a, or Viṣṇ u, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The impersonal sound of Kṛṣṇ a is oṁ, but the
sound Hare Kṛṣṇa contains oṁ. Whatever the case, the
entire yoga system aims at concentration on Viṣṇ u. Impersonalists may
imagine a form of Viṣṇ u, but the personalists do not imagine; they
actually see the form of the Supreme Lord. Whether one imagines or
factually sees, one has to concentrate his mind on the Viṣṇ u form. Here
the word mām means “unto the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇ u.” If one can
remember Viṣṇ u upon quitting this body, he can enter into the spiritual
kingdom.
One who is intelligent naturally thinks, “I am permanent and eternal.
Why should I be interested in things that are not permanent?” Actually,
no one wants an existence that is temporary. If we are living in an
apartment and the landlord asks us to vacate, we have to do so, whether
we want to leave or not. However, if we move to a better apartment, we
are not sorry. It is our nature, however, to want to remain wherever we
live. That is because we are permanent and want a permanent residence.
Our inclination is to remain. Therefore we don’t want to die. We don’t
want the miseries of birth, old age, disease, and death. These are external
miseries inflicted by material nature, and they attack us like some fever.
In order to extricate ourselves, we have to take certain precautions. To
get rid of these miseries, it is necessary to get rid of the material body,
because these miseries are inherent in material existence.
Thus by vibrating oṁ and leaving the material body thinking of the
Supreme Lord, the yogī is transferred to the spiritual world. Those who
are not personalists, however, cannot enter into the spiritual planet of
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇ a. They remain outside, in the brahmajyoti effulgence. Just
as the sunshine is not different from the sun globe,
the brahmajyoti effulgence of the Supreme Lord is not different from the
Supreme Lord. The impersonalists are placed in that brahmajyoti as
minute particles. We are all spiritual sparks, and the brahmajyoti is full
of these spiritual sparks. In this way, the impersonalists merge into the
spiritual existence; however, individuality is retained, because the spirit
soul is constitutionally an individual. Because the impersonalists don’t
want a personal form, they are placed and held in the
impersonal brahmajyoti. There they exist just as atoms exist within the
sunshine. The individual spiritual spark remains within
the brahmajyoti as if homogeneous.
As living entities, we all want enjoyment. We do not simply want
existence. We are constitutionally sac-cid-ānanda—eternal (sat), full of
knowledge (cit), and full of bliss (ānanda). Those who enter the
impersonal brahmajyoti cannot remain there eternally with the
knowledge that “Now I am merged. I am now one with Brahman.”
Although there is eternality and knowledge, bliss (ānanda) is lacking.
Who can remain alone in a room year after year reading some book and
trying to enjoy himself? We cannot remain alone forever. Eventually we
will leave that room and look for some association. It is our nature to
want some recreation with others. The impersonalists, dissatisfied with
the loneliness of their position in the impersonal effulgence of the Lord,
therefore return again to this material world. This is stated in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (10.2.32):
ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
tvayy asta-bhāvād a viśuddha-buddhayaḥ
āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ
“O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities
and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves
liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position
of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.”
The impersonalists are like astronauts in search of a planet. If they
cannot rest in some planet, they have to return to earth. It is herein
stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ) that the
impersonalist must return to the material world because he has
neglected to serve the Supreme Lord with love and devotion. As long as
we are on this earth, we should practice to love and serve Kṛṣṇ a, the
Supreme Lord; then we can enter His spiritual planet. If we are not
trained up in this way, we can enter the brahmajyoti as an
impersonalist, but there is every risk that we will again fall down into
material existence. Out of loneliness, we will search out some association
and therefore return to the material world. What we actually want is the
eternal association of the Supreme Lord. This is our constitutional
position of eternality, knowledge, and pleasure. If we are alone, if we do
not associate with the Supreme Lord, that pleasure is lacking. For want
of pleasure, we feel uncomfortable. For want of pleasure, we will accept
any kind of association, any kind of pleasure. Therefore, out of a kind of
desperation, we will say, “All right, then let me have material pleasure
again.” That is the risk the impersonalists take.
In the material world, the highest pleasure is found in sex. That is but
a perverted reflection of the pleasure experienced with Kṛṣṇ a in the
spiritual world. Unless there is sex present in the spiritual world, it
cannot be reflected here. However, we should understand that here the
reflection is perverted. Actual life is there in Kṛṣṇ a. Kṛṣṇ a is full of
pleasure, and if we train ourselves to serve Him in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness,
it will be possible at the time of death to transfer ourselves to the
spiritual world and enter into Kṛṣṇ aloka, Kṛṣṇ a’s planet, and enjoy
ourselves in the association of Kṛṣṇ a, the reservoir of all pleasure.
Kṛṣṇ a’s planet is described in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29) in this way:
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is
tending the surabhi cows that fulfill all desires, who is surrounded by
millions of purpose (wish-fulfilling) trees and abodes built with spiritual
gems, and who is always served with great reverence and affection by
hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.” In this way Kṛṣṇ aloka
is described. There the houses are made of touchstone (cintāmaṇi). If a
small particle of touchstone touches an iron rod, that rod will
immediately turn to gold. Of course, in this material world we have no
experience with such a thing as touchstone, but according to Brahma-
saṁhitā all the abodes in Kṛṣṇ aloka are composed of touchstone.
Similarly, the trees there are called desire trees (kalpa-vṛkṣa) because
one can get whatever he desires from them. Here we can get only
mangoes from a mango tree, but in Kṛṣṇ aloka we can get whatever we
desire from any tree because the trees are kalpa-vṛkṣa. This is just a
partial description of Kṛṣṇ aloka, Kṛṣṇ a’s eternal abode in the spiritual
sky.
The conclusion, therefore, is not to try to elevate ourselves to any
material planet, because the same miserable conditions of birth, old age,
disease, and death exist in all of them. Scientists are very proud of
“scientific” advancement, but they have not been able to check old age,
disease, and death. They can manufacture something to accelerate death,
but nothing that can stop death. That is not within their power.
Those who are intelligent are interested in putting an end to birth, old
age, disease, and death and entering into a spiritual life full of eternality,
bliss, and knowledge. The bhakti-yogī knows that such a life is possible
through practice of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness and remembrance of Kṛṣṇ a at
the time of death.
ananya-cetāḥ satatam
yo māṁ smarati nityaśaḥ
tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha
nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ
“For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O
son of Pṛthā, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.”
(Bg. 8.14) In this verse, the word nitya-yukta means “continuously in
trance.” Such a person who is continuously thinking of Kṛṣṇ a and always
engaged in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is the highest yogī. His attention is not
diverted to jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, or any other system. For him,
there is only one system—Kṛṣṇ a. Ananya-cetāḥ means “without
deviation.” A Kṛṣṇ a conscious devotee is not disturbed by anything,
because his mind is always concentrated on Kṛṣṇ a. The
word satatam means that he is thinking of Kṛṣṇ a at all places and at all
times. When Kṛṣṇ a descended onto this earth, He appeared
in Vṛndāvana. Although I am presently living in America, my residence
is in Vṛndāvana because I am always thinking of Kṛṣṇ a. Although I may
be in a New York apartment, my consciousness is there, and this is as
good as being there.
Kṛṣṇ a consciousness means always living with Kṛṣṇ a in His spiritual
planet. Because we are conscious of Kṛṣṇ a, we are already living with
Him. We simply have to wait to give up this material body to go there.
For one who remembers Kṛṣṇ a without deviation, He is easy to
obtain. Tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha.: “I become very cheap for them.”
For one who takes to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, the most valuable thing
becomes very easy to obtain. Because one is engaged in bhakti-
yoga, Kṛṣṇ a becomes easily available. Why should we try so hard to
attain Kṛṣṇ a, when Kṛṣṇ a Himself says, “I am easy to obtain”? We have
only to
chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Kṛṣṇ a Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Ha
re Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare twenty-four hours daily. There is no
fast rule and regulation. We can chant in the street or on the subway, in
our home or in our office. There is neither expenditure nor tax.
Actually Kṛṣṇ a, being omnipotent, is unconquerable, but it is said that
He is not only obtained but conquered through pure devotional service.
As stated before, it is generally very difficult to realize the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; therefore one of His names is Ajita, meaning,
“He whom no one can conquer.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.3),
Lord Brahmā prays to Ajita,
 jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām
“O my dear Lord Ajita, those devotees who have thrown away the
impersonal conceptions of the Absolute Truth and have therefore
abandoned discussing empiric philosophical truths should hear from
self-realized devotees about Your holy name, form, pastimes, and
qualities. They should completely follow the principles of devotional
service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and
animal slaughter. Surrendering themselves fully with body, words, and
mind, they can live in any āśrama or social status. Indeed, You are
conquered by such persons, although You are always unconquerable.”
In this verse, the words jñāne prayāsam refer to theosophists and
philosophers who are trying year after year and life after life to
understand God, or the Absolute Truth. Their attempts are like those of
the frog in a well trying to comprehend the vastness of the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. Even our attempts to measure outer space are futile, to
say nothing of the attempt to measure God. Such attempts are doomed
to failure; therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam recommends that we abandon
all attempts to measure the Supreme. It is completely useless to try to
understand God by our limited knowledge, and an intelligent man
understands this. We should become submissive and try to understand
that our position is that of a very insignificant segment in this creation.
The words namanta eva indicate that we are just to become submissive
in order to understand the Supreme from a reliable source. And what is
that source? San-mukharitām: from the lips of realized souls. Arjuna is
understanding God directly from the lips of Kṛṣṇ a, and we have to
understand God through the lips of Arjuna or his bona fide
representative. We can understand the transcendental nature of God
only from a reliable source. That source may be Indian, European,
American, Japanese, Hindu, Muslim, or whatever. The circumstances
are not important. We just have to try to understand by hearing and then
try to put the process to practice in our daily lives. By becoming
submissive, hearing from the right source, and trying to apply the
teachings in our daily lives, we can become conquerors of the Supreme.
For one who does this, Lord Kṛṣṇ a becomes easily available. Ordinarily,
God realization is very difficult, but it is very easy for one who
submissively hears (śruti-gatām).
There are two processes by which we can acquire knowledge: one is
the ascending process (āroha-panthā), and the other is the descending
process (avaroha-panthā). By the ascending process, one attempts to
understand God by his own efforts—by philosophizing, meditating, or
speculating. According to the descending process, one acquires
knowledge simply by hearing from an authority, from the bona fide
spiritual master and the scriptures. As far as the ascending process is
concerned, it is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.34),
panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
so ’py asti yat-prapada-sīmny a vicintya-tattve
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tips of the toes of whose
lotus feet are approached by the yogīs and jñānīs, who travel for billions
of years at the speed of the wind or mind.” We can all understand how
great the speed of mind is. Although sitting in New York City, I can
immediately think of India, which is thousands and thousands of miles
away. It is herein stated that even if one travels at this speed for billions
of years, Kṛṣṇ a will still remain inconceivable. The word muni-
puṅgavānām refers to a great thinker, not an ordinary man. Even if such
a great thinker travels for millions of years at the speed of mind, he will
still find the Supreme Person unknowable. Yet for one who takes
undeviatingly to this path of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, Kṛṣṇ a is easy to
obtain. Why is this? Nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ: “Because such a person is
constantly engaged in My devotional service, and I cannot forget him.”
So this is the process. We have only to become submissive to attract the
attention of God. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, “Don’t try to see God,
but work in such a way that God will see you. God will take care of you.
You don’t have to try to see Him.”
This should be our attitude. We should not think, “I want to see God.
O God, please come and stand before me. Be like my servant.” But since
God is no one’s servant, we have to oblige Him by our love and service.
We all know how difficult it is to see the king or president of a country. It
is practically impossible for an ordinary man to get an interview with
such an important person, to say nothing of having this important
person come and stand before him. Yet people are demanding that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead come and stand before them. It is our
nature to hanker after Kṛṣṇ a, because He is the most attractive, most
beautiful, most opulent, most powerful, most learned, and most famous
person in the universe. Everyone hankers after these qualities,
and Kṛṣṇ a is the reservoir of all these qualities, and He possesses them in
full. Kṛṣṇ a is the reservoir of everything (raso vai saḥ); therefore when
we hanker after beauty or power or knowledge or fame, we should just
turn our attention to Kṛṣṇ a. Then we will automatically get whatever our
hearts desire.
 Chapter Ten
The Path of Perfection
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never
return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they
have attained the highest perfection.” (Bg. 8.15)
This material world is certified by its very creator, the Supreme Lord,
as duḥkhālayam, which means “the place of miseries.” Since this is the
case, how can we possibly make it comfortable by so-called scientific
advancement? Duḥkha means “misery” or “suffering,” and real suffering
is birth, old age, disease, and death. We have set these problems aside
because we cannot solve them; therefore scientists concentrate on
atomic bombs and spaceships. Why can’t they solve these important
problems that are always causing us to suffer? Obviously, they haven’t
the power to do so.
But in this verse, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a gives the
solution: mām upetya punar janma [Bg. 8.15]. That is, “If one attains
My platform, he does not come back again to this place of misery.”
Unfortunately, in the mode of ignorance, people cannot understand that
they are in a miserable situation. Animals cannot understand their
miserable situations because they haven’t the reason. Man possesses
reason whereby he can understand this, but in this age people are using
their reasoning power in order to gratify their animal propensities.
Reason should be used in getting liberated from this miserable
condition. However, if we engage in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness twenty-four
hours a day without deviation, we will go to Kṛṣṇ a and not be reborn in
this miserable world. Mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ: those
great souls who have attained the highest
perfection, Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, are forever freed from misery. In this
verse, the word mahātmā refers to a Kṛṣṇ a conscious man eligible to
enter the abode of Kṛṣṇ a. The word mahātmā does not refer to a political
leader like Mahatma Gandhi but to a great soul, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇ a.
When Kṛṣṇ a says that the mahātmā enters His abode, He is referring
to His transcendental kingdom, Goloka Vṛndāvana. The Vṛndāvana from
which I have come is called Bhauma Vṛndāvana, which means it is the
same Vṛndāvana descended on this earth. Just as Kṛṣṇ a descended on
this earth through His own internal potency, similarly His dhāma, His
abode, also descends. In other words, when Kṛṣṇ a descends on this
earth, He manifests Himself in that particular land, Vṛndāvana, and
therefore that land is also sacred. Apart from this, Kṛṣṇ a has His own
abode in the spiritual sky, and this is called Goloka Vṛndāvana.
The mahātmā prepares in this life to enter that transcendental abode.
The human form of life can utilize nature to its best interest. Animals
cannot. These facilities should be utilized in striving to become
a mahātmā and putting an end to birth in this material world, which is
characterized by threefold miseries. The threefold miseries are those that
pertain to the mind or the body, natural disturbances, and miseries
caused by other living entities. Whatever our position in this material
world, there is always some kind of misery being inflicted upon us.
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a frankly says that it is not possible to avoid misery in this
material world, because this world is meant for misery. Unless miseries
are present, we cannot come to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Misery serves as an
impetus to help elevate us to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. An intelligent person
understands that although he does not want misery, miseries are being
inflicted upon him by force. No one wants misery, but a person should be
intelligent enough to question, “Why are these miseries being forced
upon me?” Unfortunately, in modern civilization, people try to set
miseries aside, thinking, “Oh, why suffer? Let me cover my miseries with
some intoxication.” However, the miseries of life cannot be solved by
artificial intoxication. As soon as the intoxication is over, one returns to
the same point. The miseries of material existence can be solved only
by Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. If we always remain in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness,
we’ll be transferred to Kṛṣṇ a’s planet upon leaving this material body.
That is called the highest perfection.
People may inquire, “Well, you say that entering Kṛṣṇ a’s planet
constitutes the highest perfection, but we are interested in going to the
moon. Is this not a kind of perfection?” Well, the desire to enter the
higher planets is always there in the human mind. In fact, another name
for the living entity is sarva-gata, which means that he wants to travel
everywhere. That is the nature of the living entity. Americans who have
money often go to India, Europe, or some other country, because they do
not like to stagnate in one place. That is our nature, and therefore we are
interested in going to the moon or wherever. But according to Kṛṣṇ a,
even if we attain the higher planets, we are still subject to the material
miseries.
ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ’rjuna
 mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all
are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But
one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.”
(Bg. 8.16)
The universe is divided into fourteen planetary systems (caturdaśa-
bhuvana)—seven lower and seven higher. The earth is situated in the
middle. In this verse, Śrī Kṛṣṇ a says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ: even if
one enters the highest planet, Brahmaloka, there is still birth and death.
The words punar āvartinaḥ mean “returning again,” or “repetition of
birth and death.” We are changing bodies just as we change clothes,
leaving one body and entering another. All planets are filled with living
entities. We shouldn’t think that only the earth is inhabited. There are
living entities on the higher planets and lower planets as well. From our
experience, we can see that no place on earth is vacant of living entities.
If we dig into the earth, we find some worms, and if we go into the water
we find many aquatics. The air is filled with birds, and if we analyze
outer space, we will find many living entities. It is illogical to conclude
that there are no living entities on the other planets. To the contrary,
they are full of living entities.
In any case, Kṛṣṇ a says that from the highest planet to the lowest
planet, there is repetition of birth and death. Yet again, as in the former
verse, He says, mām upetya: “If you reach My planet, you don’t have to
return to this miserable material world.” To stress this point,
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a repeats that upon reaching Goloka Vṛndāvana, His eternal
abode, one is liberated from the cycle of birth and death and attains
eternal life. It is the duty of human life to understand these problems
and attain a blissful, eternal life that is full of knowledge. Unfortunately,
people in this age have forgotten the aim of life.
Why? Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (Bhāg. 7.5.31). People have
been trapped by the material glitter—by skyscrapers, big factories, and
political activities. People do not stop to consider that however big the
skyscraper may be, they will not be allowed to live there indefinitely. We
should not spoil our energy, therefore, in building great cities but should
employ our energy to elevate ourselves
to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is not a religious formula
or some spiritual recreation but is the most important factor in our lives.
People are interested in attaining higher planets because there one’s
enjoyment is a thousand times greater and the duration of life much
longer.
 sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ
rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ
te ’ho-rātra-vido janāḥ
(Bg. 8.17)
The duration of the material universe is limited. It is manifested in cycles
of kalpas. A kalpa is a day of Brahmā, and one day of Brahmā consists of
a thousand cycles of four yugas, or ages: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali.
The cycle of Satya is characterized by virtue, wisdom, and religion, there
being practically no ignorance and vice, and the yuga lasts 1,728,000
years. In the Tretā-yuga vice is introduced, and this yuga lasts 1,296,000
years. In the Dvāpara-yuga there is an even greater decline in virtue and
religion, vice increasing, and this yuga lasts 564,000 years. And finally,
in Kali-yuga (the yuga we have now been experiencing over the past
5,000 years), there is an abundance of strife, ignorance, irreligion, and
vice, true virtue being practically nonexistent, and this yuga lasts
432,000 years. In Kali-yuga vice increases to such a point that at the
termination of the yuga, the Supreme Lord Himself appears as the
Kalki-avatāra, vanquishes the demons, saves His devotees, and
commences another Satya-yuga. Then the process is set rolling again.
These four yugas rotating a thousand times comprise one day
of Brahmā, the creator god, and the same number comprise one
night. Brahmā lives one hundred of such “years” and then dies. These
“hundred years” by earth calculations total 31 I trillion and 40 million
earth years. By these calculations, the life of Brahmā seems fantastic and
interminable, but from the viewpoint of eternity, it is as brief as a
lightning flash. In the Causal Ocean there are innumerable Brahmās
rising and disappearing like bubbles in the Atlantic. Brahmā and his
creation are all part of the material universe, and therefore they are in
constant flux.
In the material universe, not even Brahmā is free from the process of
birth, old age, disease, and death. Brahmā, however, is directly engaged
in the service of the Supreme Lord in the management of this universe;
therefore he at once attains liberation. Elevated sannyāsīs are promoted
to Brahmā’s particular planet, Brahmaloka, which is the highest planet
in the material universe and which survives all the heavenly planets in
the upper strata of the planetary system, but in due course Brahmā and
all inhabitants of Brahmaloka are subject to death, according to the law
of material nature. So even if we live millions and trillions of years, we
have to die. Death cannot be avoided. Throughout the entire universe the
process of creation and annihilation is taking place, as described in the
next verse:
 avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ
prabhavanty ahar-āgame
rātry-āgame pralīyante
tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake
“When Brahmā’s day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes
into being, and at the arrival of Brahmā’s night they are all annihilated.”
(Bg. 8.18)
Unless we go to the spiritual sky, there is no escaping this process of
birth and death, creation and annihilation. When Brahmā’s days are
finished, all these planetary systems are covered by water, and
when Brahmā rises again, creation takes place. The word ahar means “in
the daytime,” which is twelve hours of Brahmā’s life. During this time
this material manifestation—all these planets—are seen, but when night
comes they are all merged in water. That is, they are annihilated. The
word rātry-āgame means “at the fall of night.” During this time, all
these planets are invisible because they are inundated with water. This
flux is the nature of the material world.
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame ’vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame
“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active; and
again the night falls, O Pārtha, and they are helplessly dissolved.”
(Bg. 8.19) Although we do not want devastation, devastation is
inevitable. At night, everything is flooded, and when day appears,
gradually the waters disappear. For instance, on this one planet, the
surface is three-fourths covered with water. Gradually, land is emerging,
and the day will come when there will no longer be water but simply
land. That is nature’s process.
paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati
“Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to
this manifested and nonmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never
annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it
is.” (Bg. 8.20)
We cannot calculate the length and breadth of this universe. There are
millions and millions of universes like this within this material world,
and above this material world is the spiritual sky, where the planets are
all eternal. Life on those planets is also eternal. This material
manifestation comprises only one fourth of the entire
creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. Ekāṁśena means “one fourth.” Three
fourths of the creation is beyond this material sky, which is covered like a
ball. This covering extends millions and millions of miles, and only after
penetrating that covering can one enter the spiritual sky. That is open
sky, eternal sky. In this verse it is stated, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyaḥ:
[Bg. 8.20] “Yet there is another nature.” The word bhāva means another
“nature.” We have experience only with this material nature, but
from Bhagavad-gītā we understand that there is a spiritual nature that
is transcendental and eternal. We actually belong to that spiritual nature,
because we are spirit, but presently we are covered by this material body,
and therefore we are a combination of the material and spiritual. Just as
we can understand that we are a combination of both natures, we should
understand also that there is a spiritual world beyond this material
universe. Spiritual nature is called superior, and material nature is called
inferior, because without spirit, matter cannot move.
This cannot be understood by experimental knowledge. We may look
at millions and millions of stars through telescopes, but we cannot
approach what we are seeing. Similarly, our senses are so insufficient
that we cannot approach an understanding of the spiritual nature. Being
incapable, we should not try to understand God and His kingdom by
experimental knowledge. Rather, we have to understand by
hearing Bhagavad-gītā. There is no other way. If we want to know who
our father is, we simply have to believe our mother. We have no other
way of knowing except by her. Similarly, in order to understand who God
is and what His nature is, we have to accept the information given
in Bhagavad-gītā. There is no question of experimenting. Once we
become advanced in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we will realize God and His
nature. We can come to understand, “Yes, there is God and a spiritual
kingdom, and I have to go there. Indeed, I must prepare myself to go
there.”
The word vyakta means “manifest.” This material universe that we
are seeing (or partially seeing) before us is manifest. At least at night we
can see that stars are twinkling and that there are innumerable planets.
But beyond this vyakta is another nature, called avyakta, which is
unmanifest. That is the spiritual nature, which is sanātana, eternal. This
material nature has a beginning and an end, but that spiritual nature has
neither beginning nor end. This material sky is within the covering of
the mahat-tattva, matter. This matter is like a cloud. When there is a
storm, it appears that the entire sky is covered with clouds, but actually
only an insignificant part of the sky is covered. Because we are very
minute, if just a few hundred miles are covered, it appears that the entire
sky is covered. As soon as a wind comes and blows the clouds away, we
can see the sky once again. Like the clouds, this mahat-tattva covering
has a beginning and an end. Similarly, the material body, being a part of
material nature, has a beginning and an end. The body is born, grows,
stays for some time, leaves some by-products, dwindles, and then
vanishes. Whatever material manifestation we see undergoes these six
basic transformations. Whatever exists within material nature will
ultimately be vanquished. But herein Kṛṣṇ a is telling us that beyond this
vanishing, cloudlike material nature, there is a superior nature, which
is sanātana, eternal. Yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati. W
hen this material manifestation is annihilated, that spiritual sky remains.
This is called avyakto ’vyaktāt.
In the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we find a description of
the spiritual sky and the people who live there. Its nature and features
are also discussed. From this Second Canto we understand that there are
spiritual airplanes in the spiritual sky, and that the living entities there—
who are all liberated—travel like lightning on those planes throughout
the spiritual sky. This material world is simply an imitation; whatever we
see here is simply a shadow of what exists there. The material world is
like a cinema, wherein we see but an imitation or a shadow of the real
thing that is existing. This material world is only a shadow. As stated
in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1), yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā: “This illusory
material world is a combination of matter.” In store windows we often
see mannequins, but no sane man thinks that these mannequins are real.
He can see that they are imitations. Similarly, whatever we see here may
be beautiful, just as a mannequin may be beautiful, but it is simply an
imitation of the real beauty found in the spiritual world. As
Śrīdhara Svāmī says, yat satyatayā mithya-sargo ’pi
satyavat pratiyate: the spiritual world is real, and this unreal material
manifestation only appears to be real. We must understand that reality
will never be vanquished and that in essence reality means eternality.
Therefore material pleasure, which is temporary, is not actual; real
pleasure exists in Kṛṣṇ a. Consequently, those who are after the reality
don’t participate in this shadow pleasure.
Thus when everything in the material world is annihilated, that
spiritual nature remains eternally, and it is the purpose of human life to
reach that spiritual sky. Unfortunately, people are not aware of the
reality of the spiritual sky. According to Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (7.5.31), na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: people do
not know their self-interest. They do not know that human life is meant
for understanding spiritual reality and preparing oneself to be
transferred to that reality. No one can remain here in this material
world. All Vedic literatures instruct us in this
way. Tamasi mā jyotir gama: “Don’t remain in this darkness. Go to the
light.” According to the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (15.6),
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by
electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.” This
material world is dark by nature, and we are artificially illuminating it
with electric lights, fire, and so on. In any case, its nature is dark, but the
spiritual nature is full of light. When the sun is present, there is no
darkness; similarly, every planet in the spiritual sky is self-luminous.
Therefore there is no darkness, nor is there need of sun, moon, or
electricity. The word sūryo means “sun,” śaśāṅko means “moon,”
and pāvakaḥ means “fire” or “electricity.” So these are not required in
the spiritual sky for illumination. And again, Kṛṣṇ a herein
says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: “That is
My supreme abode, and one who reaches it never returns to this material
world.” This is stated throughout Bhagavad-gītā. Again, in this Eighth
Chapter (Bg. 8.21),
avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas
tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
yaṁ prāpya na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the
supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is
My supreme abode.” Again, the word avyakta, meaning “unmanifest,” is
used. The word akṣara means “that which is never annihilated,” or “that
which is infallible.” This means that since the supreme abode is eternal,
it is not subject to the six transformations mentioned previously.
Because we are presently covered by a dress of material senses, we
cannot see the spiritual world, and the spiritual nature is inconceivable
for us. Yet we can feel that there is something spiritual present. Even a
man completely ignorant of the spiritual nature can somehow feel its
presence. One need only analyze his body silently: “What am I? Am I this
finger? Am I this body? Am I this hair? No, I am not this, and I am not
that. I am something other than this body. I am something beyond this
body. What is that? That is the spiritual.” In this way, we can feel or
sense the presence of spirituality within this matter. We can sense the
absence of spirit when a body is dead. If we witness someone dying, we
can sense that something is leaving the body. Although we do not have
the eyes to see it, that something is spirit. Its presence in the body is
explained in the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā (2.17):
avināśi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
vināśam avyayasyāsya
na kaścit kartum arhati
“Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is
able to destroy the imperishable soul.”
Spiritual existence is eternal, whereas the body is not. It is said that
the spiritual atmosphere is avyakta, unmanifest. How, then, can it be
manifest for us? Making the unmanifest manifest is this very process
of Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. According to Padma Purāṇa,
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
[BRS. 1.2.234]
“No one can understand Kṛṣṇ a as He is by the blunt material senses. But
He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their
transcendental loving service unto Him.” In this verse, the
word indriyaiḥ means “the senses.” We have five senses for gathering
knowledge (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin), and five senses for
working (voice, hands, legs, genitals, and anus). These ten senses are
under the control of the mind. It is stated in this verse that with these
dull material senses, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇ a’s name, form, and so
forth. Why is this? Kṛṣṇ a is completely spiritual, and He is also absolute.
Therefore His name, form, qualities, and paraphernalia are also
spiritual. Due to material conditioning, or material bondage, we cannot
presently understand what is spiritual, but this ignorance can be
removed by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a. If a man is sleeping, he can be
awakened by sound vibration. You can call him, “Come on, it’s time to
get up!” Although the person is unconscious, hearing is so prominent
that even a sleeping man can be awakened by sound vibration. Similarly,
overpowered by this material conditioning, our spiritual consciousness is
presently sleeping, but it can be revived by this transcendental vibration
of Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Kṛṣṇ a Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare 
Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. As stated before, Hare refers to the
energy of the Lord, and Kṛṣṇa and Rāma refer to the Lord Himself.
Therefore, when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇ a, we are praying, “O Lord, O energy
of the Lord, please accept me.” We have no other prayer than “Please
accept me.” Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us that we should simply
cry and pray that the Lord accept us. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself
prayed,
ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya
“O Kṛṣṇ a, son of Nanda, somehow or other I have fallen into this ocean
of nescience and ignorance. Please pick me up and place me as one of the
atoms at Your lotus feet.” If a man has fallen into the ocean, his only
hope for survival is that someone comes to pick him up. He only has to
be lifted one inch above the water in order to feel immediate relief.
Similarly, as soon as we take to Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, we are lifted up,
and we feel immediate relief.
We cannot doubt that the transcendental is there. Bhagavad-gītā is
being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself; therefore
we should not doubt His word. The only problem is feeling and
understanding what He is telling us. That understanding must be
developed gradually, and that knowledge will be revealed by the chanting
of Hare Kṛṣṇ a. By this simple process, we can come to understand the
spiritual kingdom, the self, the material world, God, the nature of our
conditioning, liberation from material bondage, and everything else.
This is called ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], cleaning the
dusty mirror of the impure mind.
Whatever the case, we must have faith in the word of Kṛṣṇ a. When we
purchase a ticket on Pan American or Air India, we have faith that that
company will take us to our destination. Faith is created because the
company is authorized. Our faith should not be blind; therefore we
should accept that which is recognized. Bhagavad-gītā has been
recognized as authorized scripture in India for thousands of years, and
even outside India there are many scholars, religionists, and
philosophers who have accepted Bhagavad-gītā as authoritative. It is
said that even such a great scientist as Albert Einstein was
reading Bhagavad-gītā regularly. So we should not doubt Bhagavad-
gītā’s authenticity.
Therefore when Lord Kṛṣṇ a says that there is a supreme abode and
that we can go there, we should have faith that such an abode exists.
Many philosophers think that the spiritual abode is impersonal or void.
Impersonalists like the Śaṅ karites and Buddhists generally speak of the
void or emptiness, but Bhagavad-gītā does not disappoint us in this
way. The philosophy of voidism has simply created atheism, because it is
the nature of the living entity to want enjoyment. As soon as he thinks
that his future is void, he will try to enjoy the variegatedness of this
material life. Thus impersonalism leads to armchair philosophical
discussions and attachment to material enjoyment. We may enjoy
speculating, but no real spiritual benefit can be derived from such
speculation.
Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (Bhāg. 11.2.42). Once
we have developed the devotional spirit, we will become immediately
detached from all kinds of material enjoyment. As soon as a hungry man
eats, he feels immediate satisfaction and says, “No, I don’t want any
more. I am satisfied.” This satisfaction is a characteristic of
the Kṛṣṇ a conscious man.
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the
Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is
equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure
devotional service unto Me.” (Bg. 18.54)
As soon as one is spiritually realized, he feels full satisfaction and no
longer hankers after flickering material enjoyment. As stated in the
Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (2.59),
viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the
taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by
experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” A doctor may
tell a diseased man, “Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that. Don’t have sex. Don’t.
Don’t.” In this way, a diseased man is forced to accept so many “don’ts,”
but inside he is thinking, “Oh, if I can just get these things, I’ll be happy.”
The desires remain inside. However, when one is established
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, he is so strong inside that he doesn’t experience
the desire. Although he’s not impotent, he doesn’t want sex. He can
marry thrice, but still be detached. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. When
something superior is acquired, one naturally gives up all inferior things.
That which is superior is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
atheism and impersonalism cannot give us this. He is attained only by
unalloyed devotion.
 puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha
bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā
yasyāntaḥ-sthāni bhūtāni
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all, is
attained by unalloyed devotion. Although He is present in His abode, He
is all-pervading, and everything is situated within Him.” (Bg. 8.22) The
words puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ indicate the supreme person who is greater
than all others. This is not a void speaking, but a person who has all the
characteristics of personality in full. Just as we are talking face to face,
when we reach the supreme abode we can talk to God face to face. We
can play with Him, eat with Him, and everything else. This state is not
acquired by mental speculation but by transcendental loving service
(bhaktyā labhyaḥ). The words tv ananyayā indicate that
this bhakti must be without adulteration. It must be unalloyed.
Although the Supreme Personality is a person and is present in His
abode in the spiritual sky, He is so widespread that everything is within
Him. He is both inside and outside. Although God is everywhere, He still
has His kingdom, His abode. The sun may pervade the universe with its
sunshine, yet the sun itself is a separate entity.
In His supreme abode, the Supreme Lord has no rival. Wherever we
may be, we find a predominating personality. In the United States, the
predominating personality is the President. However, when the next
election comes, the President will have so many rivals, but in the
spiritual sky the Supreme Lord has no rival. Those who want to become
rivals are placed in this material world, under the conditions of material
nature. In the spiritual sky there is no rivalry, and all the inhabitants
therein are liberated souls. From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we receive
information that their bodily features resemble gods. In some of the
spiritual planets, God manifests a two-armed form, and in others He
manifests a four-armed form. The living entities of those planets have
corresponding features, and one cannot distinguish who is God and who
is not. This is called sārūpya-mukti liberation, wherein one has the same
features as the Lord. There are five kinds of
liberation: sāyujya, sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, and sāmīpya. Sāyujya-
mukti means merging into God’s impersonal effulgence,
the brahmajyoti. We have discussed this, and have concluded that the
attempt to merge and lose individuality is not desirable and is very
risky. Sārūpya-mukti means attaining a body exactly like
God’s. Sālokya-mukti means living on the same planet with God. Sārṣṭi-
mukti means having the opulence of God. For instance, God is very
powerful, and we can become powerful like Him. That is
called sārṣṭi. Sāmīpya-mukti means always remaining with God as one
of His associates. For instance, Arjuna is always with Kṛṣṇ a as His friend,
and this is called sāmīpya-mukti. We can attain any one of these five
types of liberation, but out of these five, sāyujya-mukti, merging into
the brahmajyoti, is rejected by Vaiṣṇ ava philosophy. According to
the Vaiṣṇ ava philosophy, we worship God as He is and retain our
separate identity eternally in order to serve Him. According to
the Māyāvāda philosophy, impersonalism, one tries to lose his individual
identity and merge into the existence of the Supreme. That, however, is a
suicidal policy and is not recommended by Kṛṣṇ a in Bhagavad-gītā.
This has also been rejected by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who
advocated worship in separation. As stated before, the pure devotee does
not even want liberation; he simply asks to remain Kṛṣṇ a’s devotee birth
after birth. This is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prayer, and the words
“birth after birth” indicate that there is no liberation. This means that the
devotee doesn’t care whether he is liberated or not. He simply wants to
engage in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, to serve the Supreme Lord. Always
wanting to engage in God’s transcendental loving service is the symptom
of pure devotion. Of course, wherever a devotee is, he remains in the
spiritual kingdom, even though in the material body. On his part, he
does not demand any of the five types of liberation, nor anything for his
personal superiority or comfort. But in order to associate with God in the
spiritual planets, one must become His pure devotee.
For those who are not pure devotees, Lord Kṛṣṇ a explains at what
times one should leave the body in order to attain liberation.
yatra kāle tv anāvṛttim
āvṛttiṁ caiva yoginaḥ
prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ
vakṣyāmi bharatarṣabha
“O best of the Bhāratas, I shall now explain to you the different times at
which, passing away from this world, one does or does not come back.”
(Bg. 8.23) In India, unlike in the West, it is common for astrologers to
make minute calculations of the astronomical situation at the moment of
one’s birth. Indeed, a person’s horoscope is read not only when he is
born but also when he dies, in order to determine what his situation will
be in the next life. All this can be determined by astrological calculation.
In this verse, Lord Kṛṣṇ a is accepting those astrological principles,
confirming that if one leaves his body at a particular time, he may attain
liberation. If one dies at one moment, he may be liberated, or if he dies at
another moment, he may have to return to the material world. It is all a
question of “chance,” but that chance someway or other is what one has.
For the devotee, however, there is no question of chance. Whatever the
astrological situation, the devotee in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness is guaranteed
liberation. For others, there are chances that if they leave their body at a
particular moment, they may attain liberation and enter the spiritual
kingdom, or they may be reborn.
agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gacchanti
brahma brahma-vido janāḥ
“Those who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from the world
during the influence of the fiery god, in the light, at an auspicious
moment, during the fortnight of the moon and the six months when the
sun travels in the north.” (Bg. 8.24) As we all know, the sun’s movements
are different: six months it is north of the equator, and six months it is
south. The sun is also moving, according to Vedic calculations, and
from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we are informed that the sun is situated at
the center of the universe. Just as all the planets are moving, the sun is
also moving at a speed calculated to be sixteen thousand miles per
second. If a person dies when the sun is in the northern hemisphere, he
can attain liberation. That is not only the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā, but
also of other scriptures.
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛṣṇaḥ
ṣaṇ-māsā dakṣiṇāyanam
tatra cāndramasaṁ jyotir
yogī prāpya nivartate
“The mystic who passes away from this world during the smoke, the
night, the moonless fortnight, or in the six months when the sun passes
to the south, or who reaches the moon planet, again comes back.”
(Bg. 8.25) No one can say when he is going to die, and in that sense the
moment of one’s death is accidental. However, for a devotee
in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness, there is no question of “accidents.”
śukla-kṛṣṇe gatī hy ete
jagataḥ śāśvate mate
ekayā yāty anāvṛttim
anyayāvartate punaḥ
“According to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world—
one in light and one in darkness. When one passes in light, he does not
come back; but when one passes in darkness, he returns.” (Bg. 8.26) The
same description of departure and return is quoted by
Ācārya Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇ a from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. In such
a way, those who are fruitive laborers and philosophical speculators from
time immemorial are constantly going and coming. Actually they do not
attain ultimate salvation, for they do not surrender to Kṛṣṇ a.
naite sṛtī pārtha jānan
yogī muhyati kaścana
tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu
yoga-yukto bhavārjuna
“The devotees who know these two paths, O Arjuna, are never
bewildered. Therefore be always fixed in devotion.” (Bg. 8.27) Herein the
Lord confirms that there is no “chance” for one who practices bhakti-
yoga. His destination is certain. Whether he dies when the sun is in the
northern or southern hemisphere is of no importance. As we have
already stated, if one thinks of Kṛṣṇ a at the time of death, he will at once
be transferred to Kṛṣṇ a’s abode. Therefore Kṛṣṇ a tells Arjuna to always
remain in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness. This is possible through the chanting
of Hare Kṛṣṇ a. Since Kṛṣṇ a and His spiritual kingdom are nondifferent,
being absolute, Kṛṣṇ a and His sound vibration are the same. Simply by
vibrating Kṛṣṇ a’s name, we can enjoy Kṛṣṇ a’s association. If we are
walking down the street chanting Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Kṛṣṇ a is also going with
us. If we walk down the street and look up at the sky, we may see that the
sun or the moon is accompanying us. I can recall about fifty years ago,
when I was a householder, my second son, who was about four years old
at the time, was walking with me down the street, and he suddenly asked
me, “Father, why is the moon going with us?”
If a material object like the moon has the power to accompany us, we
can surely understand that the Supreme Lord, who is all-powerful, can
always remain with us. Being omnipotent, He can always keep us
company, provided that we are also qualified to keep His company. Pure
devotees are always merged in the thought of Kṛṣṇ a and are always
remembering that Kṛṣṇ a is with them. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has
confirmed the absolute nature of Kṛṣṇ a in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (verse 2):
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
“My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there
is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many
names, such as Kṛṣṇ a and Govinda, by which You expand Yourself. You
have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard-
and-fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You
bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally
teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses
while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment
for chanting.”
We may take the effort to spend a great deal of money and attempt to
build or establish a temple for Kṛṣṇ a, but if we do so we must observe
many rules and regulations and see properly to the temple’s
management. But herein it is confirmed that simply by chanting, any
man can have the benefit of keeping company with Kṛṣṇ a. Just
as Arjuna is deriving benefit by being in the same chariot with Lord
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, we can also benefit by associating with Kṛṣṇ a through the
chanting of His holy names—
Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Kṛṣṇ a, Kṛṣṇ a Kṛṣṇ a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rā
ma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This mahā-mantra is not my personal
concoction but is authorized by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is
considered to be not only an authority but the incarnation of Lord
Śrī Kṛṣṇ a Himself. It was Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu who said, “O Lord,
You are so kind to the people of this material world that You expand
Yourself in Your holy name so that they can associate with You.”
Although the mahā-mantra is in the Sanskrit language and many
people do not know its meaning, it is still so attractive that people
participate when it is chanted publicly. When chanting the mahā-
mantra, we are completely safe, even in this most dangerous position.
We should always be aware that in this material world, we are always in
a dangerous position. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam confirms: padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām. In this
world, there is danger at every step. The devotees of the Lord, however,
are not meant to remain in this miserable, dangerous place. Therefore
we should take care to advance in Kṛṣṇ a consciousness while in this
human form. Then our happiness is assured.